Empty
by Narurific
Summary: He thought it was over. He thought there was nothing left. Until he met her. That majestic hair. Those lively eyes. That bright smile. That heartfelt personality. He was a perfect, empty shell, now he was a fully imperfect being. Only question was: for how long? FemNaruto, FemSasuke. Rated T for violence and language. Warning: Character Development.
1. Survival of the Fittest

Hi, allow me to introduce myself. My name is… well, who the hell cares? Nobody clicked on this link to read on a guy's rambling intro, although I would like to say this is my first story so flames are not allowed (plz ). Just be very critical if need be, and I would really appreciate it.

Note: This is an AU, obviously, so things might definitely be different from the manga/anime.

If you're interested in the inspiration to this story, then check out Blood Bag, by Traydox. Really talent author if I do say so myself. Anyway, let's start this, shall we?

Disclaimer for this and the rest of the chapters (cause I'm lazy): I do not own Naruto the series, they belong to Masashi Kishimoto, although I do own the AU and the OCs. Oh, and the fanfic's cover.

* * *

Chapter 01

Survival of the Fittest

* * *

_A tear fell down. It's contact unheard of. He sniffed, but it continued to run down, ignoring his soft whimpering. He stared at the grass. The peaceful, waving grass. The only thing that didn't chuck him away. The young boy swallowed, and endured another batch of hiccups._

_It wasn't fair. Life wasn't fair. He knew that, he of all people knew that, but he couldn't accept it._

_It wasn't fair. _Life_ wasn't _fair.

_And yet, as his vision became more and more distorted with unrelentful tears, representing the shrouded confusion he had for the rest of the village, he realized that, no matter what, there would never be any hope, so long as he continued to breathe the same air everyone else breathed in. The only thing that he could unconsensually share with the rest of the population._

_He decided then and there, that death, despite how creepy it was by pronunciation alone, was the only thing that would give him the relief he needed._

_The open, welcoming arms he needed._

_The relief and welcoming arms they never gave him._

_That life never gave him._

_He finally decided then and there, that he was going to _die_._

* * *

"Hey Ken, earth to Ken! Hello? Is anyone there?"

A snap of a pair of fingers woke him up from his transition, blinking rapidly at his surroundings.

A bright, yet relieved smile welcomed him back to the land of the living.

"Really now, could you try to at least show some interest when I speak to you?"

"H-Huh?" He raised an eyebrow, "Oh, s-s-sorry, I w-was just think-ing."

"I could see that." She chuckled, leaning her head back in her hands. "You always do. Really now, if I didn't know any better, I would've assumed that you weren't interested in speaking to me at all."

"N-N-N-No i-it's not l-like th-at at a-all!" He panicked, waving his arms in front of him rapidly.

The blonde chuckled once more. "Don't worry Ken, I know you wouldn't objectify me in that way. Anyway, as I was saying, who do you think we'll be paired up with?"

Ken blinked twice in confusion. "P-Pair u-up with?"

"Yeah, you know, our team. We'd graduated. Have you already forgotten?" She asked with a wry, yet sympathetic smile.

"N-No, I haven't." He looked in front of the class, the clock read 'almost time' and the quickly filling room of graduates were both signs of his forgotten anxiety. Okay, maybe he did forget during his day dreaming moment, but how the blonde asked that question made it sound as if she was referring to something else. "A-As for your q-question, I'm not exactly s-s-sure. Isn't it c-classified until the announce-m-ment?"

"Well, yeah, but it doesn't hurt to wonder, right?"

He nodded after a moment. Then something clicked. "W-Wait, you s-said 'our t-t-team' i-instead of 'o-our teams'."

She looked at him curiously. "Yeah, what about it?"

Ken blinked, astonished she seemed to be okay in the incorrection. Did she really mean to say that? "A-Are you t-t-telling me w-we are g-going to be on the s-s-same team?"

"Well duh," She smiled at his muddiness, "why wouldn't we?"

"'Cause w-we h-have-en't been a-assign-n-ed yet."

"Well yeah, but that doesn't mean we won't be on the same team, now does it?"

Ken shook his head. "I-I don't get i-it."

She giggled at his surrendering impression on the subject. "Look, it's just something from my heart, okay? I know we don't know our teams yet," she placed a gentle palm on her left side of her chest, "but I'm certain we'll be placed on the same team, 'ttebayo. Believe it."

His eyes were wide with bewilderment. This girl, she was just hunching, and yet, for some reason, he couldn't help but believe her. It wasn't the first time this happened though. She was just that influential to him. Either he was just that easy to affect, or the blonde had some exclusive chakra aura around her that shoved the impossible away. Either way, she was just downright amazing, at _everything_ she did. After all, she wasn't dubbed 'the rookie of the year' for nothing.

"So anyway," she broke his line of thought once again, "Who would you want as a second partner?"

"W-W-Well, anyone would b-be fine, I g-guess, as l-l-long as t-they wouldn't mind m-me being o-on their t-team."

"Of course they wouldn't, 'ttebayo." She chuckled. "Who wouldn't want the cool Ken on their side."

His cheeks heated up at that. "I-I'm not c-cool, N-Naru-chan."

"Of course you are." She lightly jabbed his arm playfully. "There's no one as cool as you."

Ken smiled, a genuine tug on his lips. He doubted that he was cool in the first place, but that didn't make it sound any less encouraging from his friend. He was glad he had a friend like her, a friend that had his back when he himself didn't.

Naruko Uzumaki.

_His one and only true friend_.

* * *

_NANI?!_

Was Naruko's initial impression for the Team Seven member announcement. Really, Ken didn't really see what was the problem with having Sasuku Uchiha as a member of their team. He was actually surprised at how spot-on Naruko was with her certain prediction. But then again, he shouldn't have been. Everything that came out of Naruko's heart was the truth. She was like a future predicting maniac, but Ken just couldn't help but be a bit open minded about the other possible outcomes.

But that smirk of hers was soon buried under the ground along with those outcomes once their third member was announced.

To her, that 'seven' in their team's name wasn't so lucky to begin with. And to boil her even more, their sensei had been late to their first assembly. But her enjoyable laughter– at least to Ken's ears it was– represented her boost in her mood once the chalk-covered duster was implanted on the outskirts of a patch of grey hair.

Their sensei was _not_ happy to say the least.

Now they were on top of a roof, facing their sensei's calm demeanor in their own little way.

"Okay," he eyed them lazily, "Let's start with some introductions, shall we? Would anyone like to go first?"

"I don't think we need that, 'ttebayo." Naruko crossed her arms with annoyance. "We already know _her_, unfortunately."

Naruko and Sasuku shared a moment to glare at each other, a heated one to be more specific.

"That's not what I meant." Kakashi intervened. "I was not referring to your past encounters. As a newly recruited team straight out from the Academy, it is mandatory for everyone to summarize themselves to give the team an insight of who they are. Think of it as an oral bio challenge."

"Seriously?" Sasuku deadpanned at the comparison, but said nothing else.

"How about you kick things off, kid," the grey haired Jounin gestured toward Naruko, "since you were bold enough to deny it."

The blonde pouted with a glare. "Fine! Where do I start then?"

"Well, you could give your name, your likes, dislikes, hobbies, goals; it's all up to you."

"Okay then. My name, is Naruko Uzumaki. My likes are ramen and hanging out with my precious people. My dislikes…" she glared over her back, "…are teme showoffs that think they're better than others. My hobbies are eating ramen and pulling pranks on people who deserve it. My goal is simple," she through a fist up in the air with a bundle of enthusiasm, "is to become the next Hokage, so that everyone will look up to me and have no choice but to respect me! That's my dream, and that's what _will_ happen, believe it, 'ttebayo!"

Ken smiled warmly behind her. There it was, that 'oomph' that no doubt gave him the boost he always needed to get by the day. Naruko was truly an amazing person he wished he could be as well.

"Thank you for sharing, Naruko-chan." Kakashi then eyed Sasuku. Her emo look never wavered under his gaze. She only sighed at how meaningless this was to her.

"My name is Sasuku Uchiha. I like nothing, and I certainly dislike everything…"

The emotionless drive behind that certainly made Ken feel as if she rushed through that sentence without giving it a second thought. But then again, it was rare hearing any emotion behind her speech at all. She was an emo after all. The only times she had emotion boggling through was when she was pissed off or, occasionally, arrogant, the former almost always coming from Naruko's tampering.

"…I have no hobbies and my goal…" She paused, a flash of recognition dominated her pitch black eyes for a millisecond, "…my goal, is to eliminate a certain someone off from the face of the Earth."

…Woah…

For some reason, despite the beaming sun, it felt uncomfortably chilly in an instant for Ken. 'Eliminate someone…?' He gulped, wondering who was the unlucky person Sasuku was referring to. He didn't really have time to contemplate any further when he locked eyes with Kakashi.

"You're up."

"U-Urgh…" He stuttered, before clearing his choked up throat. Uh oh. All eyes were on him, something he really hated. "W-W-Well, m-my name i-i-is Kenjo Tayamaru…" He trailed off, finding that opening rather idiotic. Of course, he just _had_ to stutter regardless of his best efforts, but despite that, Kenjo felt out of place, if he didn't already. Everyone opened up with no problem at all. Him? If only he could fix what was wrong with him.

Ken felt naked, vulnerable. He didn't know if he was the only one with this issue, all he knew was how pathetic he felt, and how illiterate he might seem, just like his cursed speech impediment. Kami he hated it so much. It was a wonder how Naruko could even put up with it, how she could even put up with _him_.

"…m-m-my likes a-are r-r-reading b-b-b-b–" he stopped himself, his nerves were catching up to him. Damn it! Why him? Their gazes were not helping either. His eyes were shut closed in concentration, but he could feel the stares they gave him. Maybe not Sasuku, or even Kakashi for that matter, but Naruko definitely. The sympathetic stares. He hated those stares the most. More than the countless glares and killer intents of the villages down below. More than the burning hatred he felt for _himself_.

It wasn't her fault, and he didn't blame her. She was just that sensitive when it came to how fragile he was. It was in her character. But knowing this didn't remind him any less on how worthless he was of a living organism.

"–b-b-b-b-b–" he sighed after another long pause, then shook his head. It was no use. Once again, his impediment won. His face was as bright as a tomato, his head hanging in defeat. How was he able to become a ninja, if he couldn't even pass this simple obstacle? Damn it. Damn it! _DAMN IT_!

His body grew stiff with a flinch. A hand landed on his shoulder. His embarrassed face drifted next to him. Naruko smiled reassuringly. "It's okay, you don't need to push yourself." Her encouraging voice was like a calm ocean wave sending him back to shore, away from the drowning deepness that he was almost positive he was going to suffocate in. Her eyes were like a magic touch that only made him even more safer than he now was.

He smiled weakly. At least he could do that right.

"Well, I suppose it's fine if you're unable to go on, Kenjo-kun." Kakashi spoke up, earning a glare from Sasuku.

"What happened to the word 'mandatory'?"

"Hey, give him a break, teme!" Naruko growled.

"Kenjo-kun has a speech impediment, Sasuku-chan." He eye smiled at her disapproval. "Unless you had one, I would've allowed a minimal introduction from you as well."

Sasuku just grunted to her side. If she had to point out a specific thing she disliked during her oral, then it would be 'this team'.

* * *

"Hey, let's head to Ichiraku for some ramen, eh?" she nudged the boy's shoulder for an answer.

"O-Oh, u-u-urm, didn't K-K-Kakashi-s-sensei tell u-us not to e-e-eat for t-tomorrow's survival t-t-training?"

"Nah ah," She wagged her finger, "he said to not eat breakfast, not lunch."

"W-Well, I-I-I guess you're r-right." He looked away in thought, then smiled weakly back at her. "Okay, l-let's go then."

Naruko beamed brightly at his agreement. "Yeah, let's eat until our hearts give way!"

"W-What?" His eyes went wide with worry.

She giggled at his reaction. "I'm kidding, Ken. Don't worry so much."

"O-Oh…" Kenjo's face showed slight relief despite it being a sort of joke.

"Hey there Ayamenee-san!" Naruko chirped cheerfully through the blinds of the fragrant filling store.

"H-H-H-Hi there, A-Ayame-s-sama." Ken spoke up timidly, despite his awful speech problem.

A patch of known brown hair swerved along the movement of the cook. The female smiled as warm as the pot was. "Oh hello Naruko-chan, Ken-kun. Did you guys pass?"

"You better believe it!" Naruko gave a thumbs up.

"Y-Yeah…" Ken smiled weakly at that. It was a subject he'd rather not go too much into detail. After all, he was not allowed to.

"Pork Ramen for me please!"

"M-M-Miso would s-suffice."

"That's good to hear, the graduating part I mean." She smiled before turning her back to them.

"Is Ojii-san around?" The blonde asked curiously.

"Unfortunately, my dad caught the flu, so I'm on duty for the day. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason. It's just that I barely see you here during weekdays."

"Yeah, thankfully school let out early today, so I decided it was best if I keep the shop rolling."

"That's good to hear. Send Ojii-san my regards, okay?"

"Will do, Naruko-chan." Their bowls were delivered, and Naruko wasted no time in munching through her favorite food.

Surprisingly, Ken hadn't touched his bowl yet.

"Ken-kun, is something wrong?" Ayame asked concerningly. It wasn't like the boy to be hesitant with his ramen, at least around here he wasn't. He looked back at her and smiled weakly.

"N-N-No, nothing's w-wrong, Aya-m-me-sama." He looked down again digging in as usual.

Naruko eyed him for a moment, her thoughts wavering around his strange behavior. Well, it wasn't exactly strange, he was probably having another mental episode. But the blonde twelve year old couldn't help but wonder what he might be thinking all the time. He always dismissed it as just him being weird when it wasn't necessary, but it was obvious to her that he was trying to compensate something. Hopefully she was wrong on that point. If not, then she certainly hope it wasn't something crucial. Kami knew how much peace of mind her one and only friend deserved.

* * *

_You will never be good at anything. Why don't you just slit your throat while you still can?_

_It will only make sense if you do._

_Stop denying the inevitable._

_Do it._

_Do it!_

_DO IT!_

"P-Please, stop it!" He shot up, drenched in countless bullets of sweat, his breathing hard and wavering discontentedly. How much more could he continue to take? How much longer will it reign? It was torture beyond belief.

He couldn't sleep. He heard voices. He was weak. His mind was uncontrollable. He couldn't do anything right.

What was WRONG with him?

"G-Get a g-grip already!" He dug his nails in the helm of his skull, his visible eye flickering red for an unnoticeable moment. "D-Damn it all!" He was going nuts, and it wasn't deprivation of sleep either. For some reason, that was the least of his problems, and it wasn't subjective either. Ken physically couldn't drift off to sleep. He could day dream, but that was it. But it never was a problem cause he never lost any 'energy' in the first place.

He was immune to something people needed the most. He was like a zombie without any bags. Pale as a sheet of paper. Only 'colorful' thing about him was his raven hair that loved to leave his right sided vision blank as his skin.

Kami, he hated himself. He hated himself so much. Maybe the voices were right, maybe he was right all along when he first decided to kill himself. And yet, here he was, still living. Still breathing. Still aging. Still in pain.

Still pathetic as _ever_.

* * *

He was at the rendezvous, the bridge heading to Training Ground Three, early as he could be, having nothing better to do. He pulled down his sleeves, hiding his pale, cold hands. Despite the rising sun, his skin was at an unpleasant temperature, but that didn't bother him though. Kenjo wasn't cold, or at least he didn't feel that way. He barely felt anything at all. That reminded him on how blank Sasuku's expression usually was. Maybe they could get along with this mutual understanding. Only thing he usually felt was emotions, and the occasional rumble of his stomach. The wind even felt like just a gentle force, no temperature at all, just a giant hand with an inconsistent push and pull function.

Sometimes he only ate for the sake of spending time with Naruko. She was the only person he could be around with, the only person that would put up with his… well, _everything_. He just wished he wasn't such a pain in the ass sometimes– most of the time– always worrying over the little things.

_One day, she'll realize just how big of a loser you really are. And when that happens, she'll spit on your presence just like the rest of them. Then you will have no choice but to hang yourself. So spare yourself the heartache and die already._

"P-Please…" He clutched his eyes closed as he murmured to himself, holding back his tears and the horrible thought of once again being all alone in the world. "J-J-Just s-stop it al-ready!"

"Ken?" His eyes shot open as a reflex. Naruko's voice had come from behind him, so he tried his best to get a grip on himself before she could notice his shape.

"H-H-Hey there, Naru-c-chan, you're u-up e-e-earl… y-you're up e-e-e-e…" He stopped before he could embarrass himself even further. Damn this impediment to hell! If he could have one wish that could come true, then he wouldn't wish for the stares to disappear, he wouldn't wish for a better life than this poverty one, he wouldn't even wish for a family he never had. No, this speech disorder would be the first to go, so he could at least not humiliate his friend from having such a pathetic person on her side who she had to resort to.

Then maybe he would finally do her proud and be a worthy member of her unfortunately low circle of friends.

"Easy there, Ken." She approached him with a smile, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Take your time, okay? And, yeah, I was so excited that I couldn't sleep."

She giggled at her inability to cooperate with the changing sky. Ken shook his head. "T-That makes t-t-two of u-us."

"Wait, you sayin' you couldn't sleep either?" She blinked in surprise. He didn't seem tired though, like her slightly baggy eyes indicated she was, and with how pale his skin was, it should've been easy to spot even the inkliest of deprivation on his expression. Maybe he used some mascara to hide it? She doubted it though. "But you don't even seem tired."

"H-Heh heh, r-really?" He sweat-dropped. Uh oh, he should've think before speaking aloud. His inability was a blessing and a curse. Next time, he should watch what he say, especially to observative people such as Naruko.

* * *

"Alright," Kakashi stared at the three Genin with a slouched eye, "first off, I hope you guys haven't eaten this morning, cause it would be a real shame to ruin your appetite for the next few days."

"Yeah yeah, we understood the first time." Naruko crossed her arms with annoyance. "The only thing that's shameful here is your lack of coming on time. Seriously though, are you doing this on purpose?"

The Jounin just stared at her for a moment, before shaking his head. "I am a Jounin, Naruko-chan, so I have things I need to do before anything else."

"Oh, sure thing then." She rolled her eyes at the excuse before muttering, _"Probably uses the time to read that porn book of his…"_

"Hmm? What was that?" The older male raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious.

"Nothing, nothing." Naruko waved him off.

"Anyway, this exam will show just how worthy you are to graduate. If you're unable to pass this test, then I'll fail you, and you will be stripped from your Genin title."

"Wait, what?!"

He eye smiled at the blonde. "In other words, you're sent back to the academy to try again next year."

"But that's unfair! We did our best to get to where we are! You can't just send us back to square one!"

"Unfortunately, life isn't always sunshine and rainbows, Naruko-chan. And yes, I can send you back, and yes, I will do so if you fail." Kakashi reached in his pocket and pulled out something small. Ken squinted at what it was. It dangled from his enclosed fingers.

Bells… Bells?

"There are two bells in my hand. The first two to get it passes and the other one will fail and be replaced by a worthy Genin."

They stared at him, each with their own complexed expression. "So you telling us one of us will be guaranteed to be stripped of their ninja privileges?"

"Good ears, Naruko-chan." Kakashi eye smiled. "You're tasked to retrieve it in an hour's time. And just to be clear, the timer had already begun the moment I showed you them. So, better hurry up."

Ken watched the instant speed Naruko gained to get to their sensei, her determination fired up. "Here I come!"

"Warning your opponent beforehand is bad tactic." Kakashi simply said, swerving to his left so that Naruko ran passed him.

Growling, Naruko tried again, but missing a second time. "Damn it!" She cursed, annoyed at the massless air she kept grabbing instead. Then, while Sasuku took center stage, a few hand signs later, her ninjutsu was activated.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

In a puff of smoke came two replicas of Naruko, all three dashing with vigor. Ken could only watch in pure amazement and misery at the sheer level his two partners were on. Sasuku was good at her taijutsu, but not good enough to grasp the bells. Their sensei merely deflected each and every blow, pushing Sasuku away with an open palm before he handled the three Narukos. They were good, but as the clones disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the original a few feet away from the calm demeanor of their teacher, he had a feeling their 'good' was not good enough.

Both continued to individually try to give Kakashi a run for his money, but the Jounin simply side stepped each time, annoying even Sasuku further.

"I hope that was a warm up, cause you're going to be needing to do better than that if you truly want to become a ninja." Then, the man shunshin'd away.

"Argh!" Naruko held her head in frustration. "You just had to get in the way, huh teme!?"

"I could say the same thing to you, idiot." Sasuku glared back before shunshining away as well.

"Whatever, teme!" the blonde shouted as if the emo was still there. Then, she was gone as well.

Ken, however only stood there, like he did for the entirety of the scene, and began to look around for the three. "W-Where d-did they g-go?"

* * *

This was not good. At this rate, he wasn't going to be able to get a bell, much less catch up to the three. He was out of his league. He was going to fail. He should've known right from the start, but he just _had_ to try to climb the impossible mountain Naruko was on. She was the only reason he was even here, the only reason he was even trying in the first place.

It was funny, you were only deemed a graduate if you pass the mandatory exercises. He certainly didn't. His theory skills were never good, never mediocre even. He knew what to do though, but he was just unable to do it.

He was unable to mold his chakra.

He was ninja-less on the inside. His heart was in the right place– so to speak– but his body, do not get him started. The only skill he was good at was reading, and yet he sucked at orals, he sucked at the theory exams, he sucked at being a ninja. He was hopeless beyond all doubt.

How did he get here, then? It was a good question. Even he wasn't sure anymore. It all felt like a horrible dream, a nightmare if you will. Ironic, cause he was unable to rest his brain. Frankly, he didn't feel like rehearsing that particular moment where he was able to graduate and shock the entire class. It was painful to even think about it. That was why he'd rather focus on climbing the mountain.

Yet, he was getting nowhere with that. He couldn't use his chakra to his advantage. He wasn't able to keep up with them, physically and mentally.

Damn it! Why was Naruko such a huge influence to him? Why did he try to grab a star that he will never reach?! His fate was sealed. Ken couldn't blame it on Naruko though, he was just that easy to get to. He couldn't turn back now anyway, and truthfully, he didn't want to look back. This was better for his psyche, to be as close to his inspiration as possible.

All he had to do was stop mourning for his pathetic existence and be in the moment.

Ken observed his surroundings, occasionally jogging through the nearby forest to try to find his target. Get a bell. That's all he had to do. Get a simple bell.

The green haired boy sighed. Easier said than done. Naruko and Sasuku was already having a hard time to even lay a physical blow on their sensei, and here he was thinking it was simple in his state.

Damn it…

No, no no no. He said he wasn't going to mourn, at least not right now. It wasn't going to get him a bell, and neither was wasting time.

Okay, Ninja One-Oh-One. How to catch a fast opponent? He could make traps to stop the man in his tracks, but would that be good enough? And how would he know if Kakashi-sensei would even end up near the confines of his snare? No, there wasn't any time to think about that kind of things. He needed to move and now. Besides, there was only one way to find out.

But what kind of trap will he make? And with what? He needed something to be as subtle to the eye as possible. Ken looked around, seeing tree after tree. Only trees, tree, tree, tree! Man, c'mon already!

He breathed in and slowly exhaled.

_Easy there, Ken. Take your time, okay?_

Don't rush things, just as Naruko told him time and time again. Try to think outside of the box.

He opened his eyes, and then, an idea finally presented itself to him.

He smiled in recognition.

* * *

Cerulean eyes locked on to their prey, a smirk growing deviously as Naruko Uzumaki sat idly by in a tree's covers. _'Hah! Kakashi-sensei is all mine! Look how clueless he is. This test is as well as finish for Naruko Uzumaki, believe it 'ttebayo!'_

POOF!

"H-Hah?" She blinked in confusion. A log laid peacefully in the stable grass below. A substitution jutsu!? But why?

"Yo."

"WAH!" She slipped, hurting her behind on the soil below. Naruko stared up. Kakashi-sensei gave her a small raised salute, before jumping to another branch as Sasuku occupied the previous one.

They began maneuvering through the outskirts above Naruko, Sasuku delivering hand-to-hand combat in mid-air. But it was obviously not enough.

Kakashi observed the now two stoic Genins staring back. "Already taking a break?"

Then as soon as Sasuku puffed into a harmless log, Kakashi swerved to the right just in time for the Uchiha to fly right passed him. Not only that, but he saw the approaching form of two Uzumakis as well, knocking one into the tree behind him and using the other one as a 'shuriken' for the persistent Uchiha, sending the emo right into the original from down below.

"Kami damn it, teme, get off of me!"

Kakashi just sighed at the two rambling to each other, shunshining out of there after a moment of boredom.

"Where'd he go?" Naruko looked around sporadically for any signs.

"You let him escape, you blonde idiot!" She glared at the pigtail girl.

"Me?! You were the one who got in the way!"

"Your clone knocked me back!"

"By the target that _you_ made cautious!"

"He was already cautious to begin with!"

"No, I had him right where I wanted him!"

Sasuku grunted before turning her back to the blonde. "Sure you did."

Naruko gritted her teeth. "Why you little- h-hey, hold on! I'm talking to you! Argh!" She ruffled her hair in frustration, before giving chase.

* * *

"Wow, those two really don't like each other." Kakashi shook his head in slight amusement, but mostly in disappointment, hand in pocket, and book in the other, open and ready to be read. Really now, the three were running out of time and hadn't gotten him off guard yet, only wanting to rush in if able. That will never get them anywhere in life. At least rush in as a team, then they might have a chance. His students would rather go for the kill alone than to corner their prey in a unit. It was almost like they were not taking this test seriously enough to care. Did they think he was joking when he laid down all the cards?

He chuckled a bit. Maybe, or maybe _he _needed to be more serious. Kakashi might think of them as prodigies for the current generation, but he figured he should actually fail them if he was not satisfied in the end, which seemed more likely than not.

Three failures. Oh well. Speaking of three, where was the third little brat anyway? Kakashi knew Kenjo Tayamaru was a special case, since it was confirmed that he didn't pass none of his subjects. It seemed as if the kid was just that bad, or maybe he was unable to mold his chakra in any shape. But the latter was ridiculous though, because of how far the green brat actually came. No, it had to be that he was just those lucky ones that got a pass because of a certain condition. Kakashi didn't know what was the condition, but it didn't matter.

The truth was that Kenjo was not going to be a huge issue, since, let's face it, Naruko and Sasuku was better off finding a needle in a hay shack with the progress they were actually making. If Kenjo was just a mediocre version of Rock Lee– yes, his marks were really that bad– then the only problem he would give the copy ninja was close range combat. But then again, Kakashi Hatake shouldn't be arrogant over none of them, even Tayamaru might even caught him off guard.

Wait, the Jounin might be wanting to cross that one out once his eye locked on an obvious cardboard box behind a tree. A cardboard box, that was taking a liking in the shaking department.

He raised an eyebrow? Really? _'Don't tell me Kenjo really thought this would work. I mean c'mon, he could at least not move so much if he wasn't going to camouflage it.'_ Kakashi sighed with pity. This was Team Seven's star pupils. Well, at least it wasn't cliché compared to the tedious method Naruko and Sasuku were sticking with. He guessed he would play along to keep up the boy's spirits. Walking passed the tree that hid the 'not-so-obvious' cardboard box, a string was suddenly triggered.

By his ankle.

Ninja wire.

Down shot a barrage of shurikens, right above the former Anbu member. With a simply side step dodge, he turned around to see the box reveal it's contents.

A raccoon?

It scurried off helplessly, just as he felt the presence of a moving object aiming for his waist. He jumped up in a tree warily, watching the flying kunai hit the tree he took shelter on. Kakashi's eye went wide in surprise, not due to any of the unexpected happenings from below, close but definitely not the expected hand that ended being a kunai as well, no, it was due to a hand reaching out in the corner of his eye. He palmed it away instinctively, seeing the flailing form of Kenjo landing awkwardly on the ground, right in the perimeter of all the traps.

The grey haired ninja blinked. _'That was a close one.'_

* * *

"Time's up." Kakashi stood in front of the pretty much exhausted trio, well, duo he supposed. Kenjo just watched the two try their best to catch their breath. Of course he wasn't tired, not that he wasn't immune to exhaustion as well, no, it was just he was only able to try once in the whole hour of the escapade. It took him awhile to set that chain of traps up, which meant there was not enough time to make another. "And none of you had succeeded in capturing a bell. Which means all of you fail."

"This is so unfair." Naruko glared deeply, finally having enough oxygen in her lungs. "We weren't trained for this!"

"And why would you need to train in order to capture a simple bell?"

Naruko opened her mouth, but struggled to find the right words. "B-But we were going up an experienced Jounin of all people! If you could've at least told us what our exam was about, we could've advised a strategy beforehand!"

"Naruko-chan," Kakashi shook his head, "In the ninja world, anything can happen. No amount of training could prepare you for an impromptu moment. Things like these _will_ take you by surprise, no matter how skilled of a ninja you are. The only thing we can do is to not prepare for the expected, but plan for the unexpected, even if it means doing it during the intervention. You should've known that while even in the Academy."

Naruko growled in distaste, but said nothing.

"What this exam expected from you was not how well you do on your own, but how good you are as a team. And neither one of you met that expectation." He stared at Naruko more intensively, earning most of her divided attention. "Naruko-chan, during the entire exam, you were mostly up in Sasuku-chan's alley rather than mine, and the times when you were, you aimed for a reckless, rushful finish rather than to catch me off guard. Even with your shadow clones, you never even gotten close to my hip, which was just downright embarrassing."

The blonde's eyes were now covered in a contemplative shadow, her being shrinking silently by the speech she received. Ken stared at her side with sad eyes. He didn't like seeing Naruko like this. He didn't like hearing her be degraded so. It hurt his heart. It made him want to give Kakashi-sensei a piece of his mind, but he decided against that thought. It wouldn't end up in his favor, and neither would it for her.

"Sasuku-chan," He turned to the emo girl, who stood stoically by, or as stoically as her emotionless face would allow her to seem, "I'm not happy with your results either, and personally, I expected you to at least be the closest to being successful in this survival test. You were the top of your class, the number one of them all, the young Uchiha prodigy, and yet, all I got from you was a lousy excuse for a Genin."

Sasuku grimaced a bit. Despite how calm she wanted to be, that really stung if she were to be honest.

"Your inability to put your foot down and work with your comrades was just as equally as sad. You seemed so sure of yourself, so sure you were going to get a bell, to show off how good an Uchiha really was, but you failed to even land a hit on me. Your bickering with Naruko-chan had cost you, and instead of trying to think out of the box and stop with how predictable you and Naruko-chan were, you ended up empty handed."

The black haired kunoichi looked down to the ground, not daring to look in the eye of her sensei.

"And that leads up to you, Kenjo Tayamaru." He turned to the boy in question, sending an uncomfortable chill down his spine. A chill more cold than his skin seemed to be. If his sensei's gaze was ice, then he could only imagine how tough winter was if he were normal. Fortunately, and unfortunately as well, he wasn't.

Here it comes, his judgment time was finally upon him. Ken barely could hold himself together hearing the degradation Naru-chan and Sasuku-chan had been held with, so he could only imagine how painful it would be for he himself to receive as well.

"You were surprisingly the one who were the closest to snatching one of the bells, and for that, I'm pleasantly surprised." Kenjo opened his clutched eyes at hearing those words. Wait, what just happened? Unfortunately though, he was too quick to judge. "However," Kakashi continued, already having all three of them staring back at him in their own way, "I am very disappointed to only encounter you once out of the entire hour. You spent all your time setting up those traps that if you actually were to ask _help_," he paused, letting it all sink in the boy's head, "you three would've had more time to improvise and even try to counter while I was distracted. But you didn't, and so, you showed me that you as well are a failure in disguise."

He took the sight of the ground to be the focus point as Kenjo felt even more miserable than before. Just hearing what he could've and should've done made it even worse. Double that with the fact that he wasn't even suppose to be here made it astonishingly clear to him that this was the pinnacle point of his failures so far.

What was he thinking? He couldn't take on the simplest of ninja in his current state, and yet, there he was, trying to do everything by himself. What a worthless piece of arrogant garbage he reminded himself he was.

Kakashi shook his head in dismay. "Really now, what did you think being put on a team was all about? To prove whose the best amongst all of you? News flash: There is no _I _in team, and for me to remind you guys that while you wear those symbols of recognition on your foreheads, is more frustrating than when I realized how independent you all seem to crave to be. It just goes to show much ignorance you brats truly have."

They all had the decency to hang their heads to the surface. Silence grew amongst the four, each quiet second felt like an aggravating hour. Time seemed to slow down during this moment, and the three Genin didn't enjoy it one bit.

"So, while _I _crave to just fail all three of you right now, I'll give two of you one final opportunity."

"Huh?"

* * *

"Hey, what's the big idea tying me up to this log, 'ttebayo?!" Naruko struggled in place, her body immobile to do anything to help her get out of her current situation.

"As I said, I'll give two of you an opportunity to not be sent back to the academy." Kakashi eyed his two untied pupils. "Since you haven't eaten anything yet, each of you are given a bowl of food to finish. Once you have, I'll deem you a graduate of this exam. But give Naruko even a whiff of it, and all of you will fail, got it?"

"WHAT!? But why _me_, eh?!"

"Naruko-chan, personally, I think you did the most horrible out of all of you. While none of you did better than the other in acting as a team, _you_ on the other hand had clone after clone to help you. Though it defeats the purpose of having other members on the team in the first place, you actually managed to fail despite having me outnumbered in numerous of occasions."

He shook his head with a sigh, before continuing with his point.

"Having shadow clones should mean you're at one with each other, you should agree on the plan the other one is thinking, and yet you didn't progress, not a single bit. I don't even want to imagine how you would cooperate with your two actual teammates that clearly have minds of their own if you do decide to work together. So for that, I'm having you be the odd one out. Nothing personal, it's just how grading you all _individually_ works. Maybe next year, you might be ready, Naruko-chan. I hope that be the case." And with that, he shunshin'd away.

"Argh," Naruko wriggled some more, "this is really unfair, Kami damn it!" Then, she stopped squirming, hanging her head in defeat. Ken just frowned through it all. If there was a moment where you could actually agree with someone twice as much, then this moment would be it. Honestly now, what did Kakashi-sensei took him for? He wasn't going to let his only friend starve while surrounded by unreachable food. That's just inhumane torture. Who would do such a thing? He hoped their teacher would end up with a 'gotcha!' popup, cause he wouldn't want a sensei who would be the cause of this insufferable suffering.

Screw passing without Naruko! If she fails, he fails too. He won't allow her to fall alone. She had enough pain and grief throughout her childhood as it was. Besides, she was the only reason he was here in the first place. So it was only natural to do what he was about to do right when his sensei was out of sight. He didn't even need the oncoming growl from her to have confirmation, cause his mind was already made up.

"H-Here, Naru-chan." He raised the enclosed chopsticks near her face, earning a surprised, yet confused expression from the blonde.

"W-Wah? Wait, what are you doing?"

"Yeah, dead last," Sasuku spoke up with a glare, "you're going to have us all fail."

"I-I-I don't c-care." He frowned at the seated female. "T-There's n-no way in h-hell that I'll a-allow Naru-chan t-t-to starve! I w-would even s-steal H-Hokage-s-sama's lunch if I h-h-have t-to." He wanted to sound serious, stern, confident of himself, but with his impediment, it was hard to actually hear such a tone like that from himself if it was even there. That only made his last statement even more stupidly amusing rather than recklessly brave, and even he felt like he said something he would never do. Stealing the Hokage's lunch? That sounded completely extreme. But he stood his ground, despite how scared the thought made him feel.

"Ken…" A slight blush appeared on the peach skin of his friend. That speech might have been all bark and no bite, but it meant a lot to her. It was one of those subtle yet powerful reminders that made her mind recap on just how much of an influence he was to her. Why she became his friend. Why she looked up to him while the whole village looked down.

It was moments like these that really reminded her, reminded Naruko Uzumaki, just how much Kenjo Tayamaru meant to her.

She smiled warmly. He was doing that thing again. That selfless movement of his. Putting her needs in front of his own. It was annoying, knowing that he would not checkup on himself first, but it touched her like nothing had before. Each time he did it, it was just as powerful.

Naruko knew he wasn't the strongest, the smartest, the most skilled, the most talented. He was never the best at anything, and yet, to her, he was the best at everything he did. Noone could be there for her like Ken was. He was just _that_ powerful in her eyes.

If only the village could see what she saw in him. If only…

"You sure…?" She stared at his eyes, his reassuring red orbs.

He smiled back as warm as he could. "O-Of course I-I am."

She hesitated, but opened up her mouth wide enough for the contents to bless her aching tongue. She absorbed the exotic taste, feeling the food compress itself with each bite. She kept looking at his calm demeanor while doing so. A demeanor that their former classmates said didn't match with how awkward his timid voice stuttered. If that was even true, it's contrast would still be just as wonderful as the actual comparison. Her cheeks were still red with heat. It was moments like these that she wished would last for eternity.

She and her best friend Ken.

Together, having an ever lasting moment in a luxurious field of-

"Hey."

Her eyes bulged a bit by the interruption, turning her head to find another pair of chopsticks near her mouth, with Sasuku staring to the side.

She blinked in confusion. "Nani?"

"Hey, I may be a faceless emo most of the time, but I'm not a dick to a teammate in need. Besides, dead last just failed us all, so what's the point in not sharing?"

Naruko just stared in disbelief. Was this the same teme who she competed with the past few years in the Academy? The same teme who had the audacity to ruin her chance in getting a bell from Kakashi-sensei? Was this really her? What kind of dream was she having right now?

Ken just smiled at the gesture, nodding in gratitude at her selflessness once their eyes met momentarily, just to receive a grunt in response.

And so, they shared their food with each other, enjoying their time finally reconciling as one. As a whole.

They were finally being a team.

* * *

**End of Chapter**

**Please, I would really appreciate it if you gave me your feedback via a review or pm. It could be a praiseworthy one, or a critical one, or even in between. Each review gives me that individual 'oomph', as my OC called it, in getting me to finish this for you guys.**

**Regardless, thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

–**Narurific–**


	2. The Scarring Fate

Chapter 02

The Scarring Fate

* * *

_He gasped desperately. It was no use. No matter how hard he tried, he always ended up with the same result. How many times had he tried to hang himself? How many times had he failed to stop breathing after doing so? At least he knew it was the same amount of times. Why wouldn't it be? He was still here, unfortunately, moaning in self-pity. He was still trying though. He couldn't give up now. Not when he was so close to ending it all._

_He stood back up on his wooden chair. He got his tiny neck around the rope. He made to kick the furniture, and yet, he failed once more. He just couldn't find it in him to end it all. But then why did he wanted to in the first place? It was obvious to him that nobody was going to help him. Why would they? They were the reason he felt so out of place. So alienated. So unwanted._

_So, so…_

…_so _him.

_Then he did what he always did afterward. Held his breath on the ground once more. Feeling his lungs burn with need once more. Flailing in desperation once more. Clutching his watering eyes once more. Feeling the pale complexion of himself turn blue once more. Punching his chest to fight back what his young body wanted once more._

_Then inhaling for air… once more._

_He began to sob._

_And sob._

_And sob._

_And sob._

_Until his eyes were puffy and red. Dried out like a desert. Then, he tried resting his eyes, feeling exhausted. But he failed to rest as well._

_So he sobbed._

Once more.

* * *

"Hey Ken, you listenin?"

"H-Huh?" The boy blinked back to reality. He wasn't sobbing, he was walking. With Naruko beside him.

Oh yeah. It was all just a dream. All just a _dream_.

She sighed. "I was just saying how it's just unfair how many D-Rank missions we receive on a daily basis. It's like they think we're babies; too young to fend on our own. And besides, we learned our lesson, right? We're a team now, so we should get challenges that revolve around pushing our ability to work together. Not trying to find a fat cat in an alley, or to trim the lawn!"

"Y-Yeah." He nodded sheepishly, still trying to wrap his head around the situation at hand. They were walking back from another successful D-Rank mission, or to put it in Naruko's words, D-Rank 'Chore'. And yes, none of them were sent back to the Academy. They were all included in Team Seven once Kakashi explained to them on how their good deed to Naruko was just what they needed to get a passing grade. By thinking selflessly, they opened the box that revealed the answer to what being a team was all about. It was cheesy, but Ken enjoyed it until the very end. It made him happy to see everyone getting along, and now they were all officially ninjas… again.

Since then, they had done nothing but little chores around the village that were supposedly called 'missions', which made sense since they were still new in being a ninja, the chores that is. Ken admitted that it was becoming a bit frustratingly tedious, but it still pushed the boundaries on what he could physically withstand. Unlike Naruko and Sasuku, he was just an average guy that could not mold his chakra, so he had to rely on his wits and dedication to stand alongside his teammates, which was still extremely hard.

He was called 'dead last' for a reason, but he couldn't use that as an excuse. Just like mourning during his survival training a few days ago, he shouldn't hope that one day, by being sorry for himself enough times, that he would suddenly become a phenomenal ninja. No, the Ninja World did not work that way, and with how many times life kicked him in the gut as a wake up call to the harsh reality he lived in, Kenjo of all people should know that much.

It didn't make it any less easy, or any less frustrating. He wanted to be someone Naru-chan could really count on. That could be there for her in any possible situation. And he wanted that asap. So he needed to train on the things he was able to get better at. But with how little people tolerated his very presence, it was really difficult to find a one-on-one teacher. And even if he found one, they needed to be on the same level of understanding.

He could only imagine how they might react to how shallow his arsenal as a ninja really was. They might even receive a warrant for kicking his ass for wasting their time like that.

Amusing, but probably plausible in his mind.

"Hey, how is your training coming along, Ken?"

"W-Wha?" He turned to her as if she grew a second head.

"Your training." She flashed a small smile. "It's been a while since you last gave me an update on it. So, how is it coming along? Did you finally learn how to mold your chakra?"

Kenjo frowned, then smiled as brightly as he could without making it seem fake. "N-Nah, n-n-not yet, b-but I can t-t-tell I'm g-g-getting c-close."

Naruko's eyebrows tilted sadly, smile not wavering. "You sure you don't need my help? I won't mind lending a hand."

He shook his head. "N-No thank y-you, Naru-chan. I-I'm c-capable of hand-ling it m-myself."

"Well, if you say so, 'ttebayo."

He kept on smiling at her. He could never admit it to her, that his chakra was moldless, that he was always going to be handicapped as a shinobi no matter what. That he might never be as great as she was. He expected her to not know about civilian chakra, about how the only weapons they usually use were frying pans and knives. That she was looking at someone who already lost a battle that hadn't even begun.

That Kenjo would always be a wannabe shinobi.

ALWAYS.

No matter what.

* * *

"So, I've heard that you had graduated Tayamaru a few days ago?" A patched man asked casually, his voice rumbling with old age and wisdom behind it's deepness.

"Yes, I have." His company said back, red lamp shade hat hiding his calm, smoking expression.

"May I ask what gave you the idea that passing a failed Academy student was a good sign for the public?"

"Had his compensated failure been announced?"

"No."

"Good, I expect it to be so until said otherwise."

The patched man sat quietly for the man to continue.

"Kenjo has always been a special case, Danzo. You of all people should know that. I have my own personal motives for passing him. I expected you to be pleased with my decision though, since you were always fond of the boy for some reason."

"…I am, I'm just surprised you had done something about it before I could. And it's not only myself that is interested in the boy. Both of us are, am I wrong?"

"No." He exhaled a puff of smoke through his pipe. "But _you_ were the one that beforehand declared the boy to be a part of the village during that fateful day, were you not?"

Danzo Shimura nodded, though, he knew Lord Third could feel he had done so. "Yes, I suppose I was."

"You still haven't explained the reason behind your decision, though."

"Haven't I? I told you it was because of his infancy during that time. It was only right to withhold the child for reasonable purposes."

The Hokage sighed inwardly. "Fine, don't tell me."

There was a dramatic pause between the two men before Danzo spoke up once more.

"And the Kyuubi's vessel?"

"What about her?"

"I heard they're on the same team, with one of the last Uchiha no less."

"Yes, they are. It's only fair if we keep up our tradition as a whole. The rookie of the year, the first in class, and the one below every margin. All on one team. What, are you worried for some reason?"

"No," Danzo shook his head, a mental smile crept in his mind. "Not at all."

* * *

"I've had it!" Naruko yelled aloud, catching Ken off guard, Sasuku only grunting in response.

"N-Naru-chan…"

"He's taking us for a damn joke!" She growled. "He's doing this on purpose! He always has been! But not anymore!"

"Could you shut up already, you blonde idiot?" Sasuku grumbled, making it seem more like a command than a request.

"No I won't, teme!" Naruko met her glare with her own. "Kakashi-sensei had pulled the last straw! He's been late ever since day one! If he appears, I'm going to really give him a piece of my mind!"

Speak of the devil. In a puff of smoke, the Jounin in question raised a salute to his students. "Yo."

"You!" Naruko pointed accusingly.

"Me?" He pointed at himself confusingly.

"I have a few words to exchange with you!"

"Can it wait, though? I have some good news to tell you all."

"No, it cannot!"

"N-Naru-chan…" Ken said below his breath.

Kakashi sighed. "And here I was thinking you would be more inclined to listen to the news on your first C-Ranked mission."

"I don't– wait, what?" She blinked in surprise.

Their sensei eye-smiled. "I've been informed by Lord Third that you guys are going to do your first C-Ranked mission. He wanted to keep it a secret until you arrived at the Hokage tower, but I figured you needed the boost for today as early as possible."

Despite only being able to see the girl's back, Kenjo and Sasuku could feel the sparks bursting from her eyes. "YAATA! C'mon you guys, let's not keep Jiji waiting!"

"What happened to 'giving him a piece of your mind'?" Sasuku couldn't help but ask the blonde preteen.

"Can it, teme! Don't ruin this for the rest of us!" And then they were off, with Sasuku taking a moment to mumble before following suit.

"_Yep, this team is definitely the worse…"_

* * *

"Hey, Ken?"

"Hmm?" For once, Ken wasn't daydreaming before answering, which rarely happened. Daydreaming, he could only assume, was a sign of his body trying to compensate his lack of actual sleep. It wasn't really confirmed, it was only a hypothesis, though he didn't have anything else to go on since he didn't really feel rejuvenated during or after it.

It could just be another sign of the depravity of his entire being, but then again, that would only be an assumption as well.

"Well," She trailed off momentarily, just barely above a whisper, taking a small glimpse behind them. The cargo was still not harmed, which was the four-eyed man named Tazuna, oh, and his wheelbarrow full of… stuff, with Kakashi and Sasuku walking near him. "I think this guy is kinda sketchy, don't you?"

"Mr. T-Tazuna?" He looked back as well, more than subtly, earning a pair of eyes to connect with his. Ken quickly looked away from the staring man, finding himself embarrassed due to his rude glance. "W-Well, h-he seems n-nice enough to m-m-me."

"Nice?" Naruko chuckled below her breath, still in a whisper. "He called you a walking patch of grass. You call that nice?"

"W-Well, every-one has t-t-there way of e-express-ing themselves, so w-we shouldn't j-judge."

"I know," she placed her hands behind her head. "I'm not saying he's a bad person, just a bit suspicious in my books."

"H-How come?" Ken was almost afraid of asking, having a feeling Naruko's reasoning will reason _him_ to change his perspective on the man in an instant. After all, she was always good at making others believe in her.

"_One day, I'll be Hokage, and then everyone will _have_ to look up and respect me. Believe it, 'ttebayo!"_

A small smile tugged on his dry lips.

"Well, call me crazy, but this morning I actually saw him in Konoha."

"T-This morn-ing?"

"Yeah, just before arriving at the bridge. He was looking around, scanning his surroundings before going into someone's house. I don't know about you, but if someone does that in front of my eyes, I immediately think that he's hiding something troubling."

Ken just looked behind him again, but more subtly, catching a glimpse of the builder once more. _'Hiding something troubling?'_. That _did_ sound sketchy though, Ken admitted, but what could an average, cranky builder be hiding in a village that he wasn't actually a part of? Strange, strange indeed-

"Ken, look out!" He flinched at the clash of two kunai right in front of his face, the aerial one hitting the soil with a soft _thump_. Naruko held her kunai close to him in deflection, eyeing behind a tree that a shady ninja crawled out from.

"A ninja?" Naruko's eyebrows raised.

"A Hidden Mist ninja no less." Kakashi asserted, glancing at the headband the person wore.

"A n-n-ninja?!" Ken gulped nervously. "B-But I t-thought we were g-going t-to take o-on ban-dits."

"My thoughts exactly." Kakashi eyed the silent, if not a bit frantic unarmed man, before giving his attention back to the ninja before them. "They're probably after Tazuna's cargo. Whatever you do, protect it and Tazuna at all cost, got it?"

"Got it, 'ttebayo!" Naruko formed her signature hand signs, summoning a couple of clones afterward. Sasuku held her place near Tazuna, hearing rustling in the bushes close by. Kakashi got into a fighting stance as well, seeing a Mist ninja appearing from a lone puddle on the ground.

And Ken?

He tried to do the best he could. He knew he wouldn't be able to gain an upper hand if they were to use any ninjutsu. Ken _might _give them an advantage with his Taijutsu, though it was barely mediocre good, and judging by the appearance of these guys, the green preteen was almost certain they were trained in that aspect too, and very well if he were to downgrade his bravado any further.

But he refused to let his cowardice get the best of him. He was a ninja now. No more running away from his problems. No more hanging himself. No more holding his breath for anybody, especially for himself. He was alongside Naruko now, maybe not figuratively, but it was a start, and it was just what he needed in life.

Here we go! Let's do-

"Ken, behind you!"

"W-Wha?" It all happened so fast that he felt like life was going in slow motion. He tried to look back in time as quickly as possible, he really did, but all he got was a hard kick to his spinal cord, sending him tumbling forward. Ken stopped rolling in the dirt, groaning in place as he felt a surge of pain rush through his backside.

OW!

That really hurt! He made to stand up, but his eyes widened when he saw a kick aiming to knock him out by the head.

It would have easily done so, had it not been for a certain blonde whacking the living daylights out of his attacker first.

Well, that was an overstatement actually, since Ken witnessed the slowly rising form of his soon to be mobile enemy.

"Ken, get up!" Naruko nearly yelled at his still form. "You gotta be on your toes, 'ttebayo!"

"R-R-R-Rig–" He was going to get his message through, but his inconvenience in speaking aloud got the best of him. Again. Ken shook his head. It didn't matter anyway. She, clone or not, was gone to take care of the unfinished opponent. He stood up, took a kunai out with his shaking hand, and looked around for any unwanted pest that wasn't occupied right then. He wasn't cold. He barely felt coldness. Ken probably could sleep in a freezer and come out with only minor consequences. So then, why was he shaking so much?

He couldn't keep his hand, his feet, his entire body calm and collected. He could even feel his bones chatter like they were having an endless, unwavering conversation with each other. Was it his nerves? Was he really _that_ nervous? Damn it! Not now! Not when he was amidst a crisis such as this. Or maybe it was this exact crisis that was making him be so apprehensive.

Oh, who was he kidding? Of course it was. But why now? Why now when his team needed him to actually be there for them!? Not on the sidelines, but on the battlefield. Why _now_, Kami damn it!? Why n–

"Ken!"

Before he could even fathom the verbal eruption, he felt a rush of pain through his shoulder. AH! He fell down on one knee, holding onto his– wait, a shuriken? When did a shuriken met his left shoulder? Wait, when did he get down on one knee? And this bulging pain… Was this shuriken the reason everything happened in a blink of an eye?

He heard a cry before him. Ken watched the Mist ninja get pulverized by a clone. It dispersed once the damage had been dealt.

Then, there was silence. "Ken!" Well, before Naruko approached that was. "Are you okay?"

"H-Huh?" He swallowed, looking at her crouching form before turning to his shoulder.

Now it became crystal clear what happened. If he thought it was worse before, it was certainly worse now.

Not even the dark, black liquid slowly dampening the spot of interest and down his arm could take his mind off of one crystal clear fact.

Kenjo Tayamaru was now an official wannabe ninja.

And that, more than anything before in his life, hurt.

_Really hurt_.

* * *

Naruko frowned. She was troubled. The blonde strolled down the streets to her favorite place to eat. Alone. She wasn't that hungry, well, not anymore that is. The young kunoichi was troubled by Ken's sudden silence that unintentionally represented her current quietness.

It was why he wasn't with her to get their usual bowl of ramen. _That_ was readily apparent. Naruko tried asking, she really did, but Ken just smiled back then.

_I-I'm alright, r-really. Don't w-worry about i-it, o-okay?_

What kind of reply was that? He was alright? He wasn't up for any conversation. That wasn't alright. That wasn't the Ken she knew deep down. There was something troubling him, she just knew it.

It was their C-Rank mission. Their _first_ C-Rank mission. She knew he was excited, if not a bit nervous, it was written in his eyes. So why? Ever since that attack. Was it the ambush? Was it because he didn't perform well in front of them? During their first C-Rank mission? She didn't care if he didn't. No matter what, he would always be her cool Ken, no matter how good or bad he did. Everyone had bad days. She should know.

The blonde sighed. That mission was meant to be an enjoyable time for them. They were all waiting for the moment to shine, to get out there and prove that they were ready for the outside world. So the mission was meant to be exciting no matter how you looked at it. For her _and _him. And yet, it felt so… depressing… Was it just her? Was Naruko the only one who felt like the weather had turned dark yesterday, the day they left for the Land of Waves? It couldn't be, right? No, Ken's mood had turned for the worse. She wished it hadn't, but it did.

Now here she was, opening the blinds to Ichiraku without Ken following suit.

"Oh, Naruko-chan!" Teuchi smiled her way. "Hmm? Ken-kun isn't with you this time?"

"Yeah…" She sat down. "I'll have the usual, please."

"Huh, you don't sound so enthused to eat. Did something happen?"

"Well, I guess you could say that."

"Does it have something to do with Ken?"

Naruko blinked out of her downcast. "How did you know, Ojii-san?"

The man smiled knowingly. "Well, you didn't come with the boy, and he's usually always by your side, so I assumed it had something to do with him."

The girl looked down once more. "I don't know, that's the thing."

"Huh? What don't you know, Naruko-chan?" He got cooking, still lending an ear as he did so.

"Well, we just came back from our first C-Rank mission, but ever since departing for it, his mind's been more distant than usual."

"Oh…"

"I think it has something to do with the ambush that happened during that time. But I'm not completely sure."

"You were ambushed?" He asked, genuinely surprised.

"Yeah." She nodded. "It felt like he was in his own world back then… again."

"During an ambush, huh? Sounds to me like he was just simply frightened by the situation."

"Frightened?" She looked up with curious eyes.

"Mm-hmm." He placed the bowl of Miso down on the counter. "You said it was your first C-Rank, right? So maybe he was apprehensive because of it being his first real fight, or that's what I'm assuming it was."

"It was."

"Then, there you go." Teuchi's hands found his hips. "And maybe he was upset because of that."

"You think so?" Naruko stared down at the bowl of ramen before her, the type that Ken would eat if to only be as less picky as he could. Miso Ramen. The type she was now eating… without him. If Naruko felt less enthused about eating, then she definitely lost her entire appetite right then. She never knew Ken might have felt like that, and she was angry that she didn't assume that in the first place.

What a friend she was. She tightened her fists. She needed to find Ken. Naruko wanted to cheer him up before anything else. He said he was going home early. But the only problem was, she didn't know where he lived.

It seemed like a ridiculous question. What BFF didn't know where their other half lives? And yet, Ken denied her chance to even know of it's location time and time again. He wanted it to be under wraps. It had hurt, it still did, to think that he didn't trust her enough for her to know such information. Naruko could've asked around, but just like how she dropped the subject, the blonde didn't wanted to pry for something that might be too personal. At least it seemed for him.

She wanted to respect his boundaries, and that was what she was going to continue to do. Naruko just hoped that wherever he currently was, he would be okay, at least long enough so they could meet up again.

* * *

_Oh, sorry. I didn't see you there. Are you o- *gasp*_

Well, that happened. Her reaction wasn't shocking though. Bumping into someone she didn't know– him– gasping at said someone once their eyes met– again, him– and running away like her life depended on it– agai– well, you get the picture.

Everyone avoided him. Everyone. They despised him. They hated his guts. Kids were just too oblivious to care– which that girl was, a kid that is, making it seem strange then. Adults were like stampedes trying to dodge the plague. That was what he saw himself as, a plague, among other phrases.

It was tedious, yet saddening. Confusing, yet lonely.

He didn't know why, he didn't know why they did what they did. Spat on him. Mocked him. Glared at him. He just wanted it to stop, despite his attempts to ignore them. How could he? Twelve years of pain was not something that could simply go away like a simple bad cold. Not even Naruko Uzumaki could let him forget what he had, and was going through.

On the contrary, she was actually a reminder that he was alone with her. It was bitter-sweet. She was all he needed, but she was also everything he did not have back then. A friend. A family. A childhood.

Just like her.

Ken wasn't saying that he regrets meeting her. Nothing could make him feel that way. She was the ray of hope he never had, but at the same time, she was a cloud of unwanted pain. The painful reminder of what his life meant outside of their circle of friendship, what it meant without her. Nothing. The painful reality that he would never be as good as her.

As brave as her.

As talented as her.

The painful reality that he was _nothing_ and _always will_ be nothing compared to her.

Then, why was he still doing this? Being a ninja. Being something he's not. Traveling a road of inevitable futility. How stupid was he back then? How stubborn was he to still continue on? It made no sense. No sense at all. Just like his life.

Just like his _very existence_.

"K-Kami damn it!" He screamed in his pillow, the painful, lingering aftermath of his first real fight still there. Mocking him. Laughing at him. Just like everyone else. He sat up on his bed– the floor– and punched the cushion. Again. And again. And again. And again.

The low amount of feathers he collected scattered out of the slit of a _'head's best friend'_. It took him a while to gather 'so much' feathers for the comfort of his head, and now they were all lying idly across the floor.

But he didn't care. He was so angry. _So, so angry_. He had been in worse situations before, but his frustration at himself, at his life, had just allowed all of those negative emotions to run amok, finally out of his system. At least, he hoped so. A bulging sting was felt from his hands. He looked at his bruised knuckles. Ken had been punching the ground, so to speak, due to the low mass the pillow contained.

But he didn't care about that either. All he cared about was to catch up to Naruko. To actually be by her side. Being saved by her not only once, but twice yesterday did not help him accomplish his goal one bit. It was just a reminder of how long the road to it really was.

An endless length of disaster just waiting to swallow him whole.

Ken sighed, plopping himself down on the mashed pillow, but instead of a softer landing, his mind rang from the knock of the hard ground. The poor boy held his head, finally giving way to physical discomfort. He breathed, steadying his breath and soon ignored the slowly dissolving hurtfulness.

He'll get over it, hopefully. He wasn't someone who liked holding a grudge. So he'll let it slide.

What would he get over, you might have asked?

_Everything_.

* * *

"Hey, Ken." He turned his head. Naruko stood, smiling. It seemed more of a sad smile than her typical bright sunny one. Just like the rising sun right then. She approached him on the bridge. Her hands behind her back.

"H-Hey." Ken smiled back. Despite the hell he went through last night, he couldn't rain on her day just because of his lousy one. He needed to stay positive around her, just as she was–

The girl in question brought her hands out in front of her. A container?

Wait, was that the Ichiraku Ramen's logo?

"W-What t-this?"

"It's your ramen, dummy." She giggled cutely.

"M-My ram-en?"

"Yeah. You didn't come with me to Ichiraku yesterday, remember? So, I decided to get a parcel of Shoyu for ya. Your favorite."

"W-Wait," He blinked, "you b-bought a Shoyu par-cel for m-me?"

"Of course, 'ttebayo." She grinned widely. "Why wouldn't I buy one for the cool Ken?"

Ken's cheeks flushed once more at the mention of him being 'cool'. He certainly wasn't. There was no denying it. There was nothing cool about him. Their last mission was proof enough. So it always touched him the most when reminded of how highly Naruko thought of him. It melted his weak heart. Really it did.

He didn't know why she continued to view him as a 'cool' person. She probably wanted him to feel better about himself. Even if that was the case, it still warmed his heart to know that she would go out of her way to even consider it.

He smiled warmly at the gesture. He was truly lucky to have a friend as awesome as Naruko Uzumaki. He couldn't believe it.

"T-T-Thank y-you, Naru-c-c-chan." He took the parcel from her, tears were starting to form in his eyes. _'Damn it, not now! Don't ruin this moment by crying, you idiot!'_

"Ken?" She took a concerning step closer.

"N-N-No…" He tried wiping his eyes with his sleeve, parcel in the other hand. "D-D-Don't worry. I-I-It's t-t-tears of j-joy, r-really." Damn it and his baby nature! The tears were the personification of his gratitude that he wanted Naruko to know all about, and yet, he didn't wanted to show none of them. He felt vulnerable with each drop. But it was too late. The cat was out of the bag. It wouldn't be the first time however, he was always a crybaby when Naruko even considered doing something nice and generous for him.

Her caring nature of his so-called 'hunger' was that of a nuclear bomb dropping on his crumbled nation; it was just impossible to stop.

She smiled after a sigh of relief, glad she hadn't done anything wrong to make his mood even worse. Naruko approached the crying boy, and embraced his susceptible being. He choked when her arms wrapped around his person– her warm presence devouring his pale, fragile one– but allowed the hug to continue with his own small, but tight hold from his free hand.

"There there, it's okay, you little baby." She playfully taunted in his ear.

"H-H-Hey!" It was his normal loudness, but it felt like a shout of disapproval. She chuckled.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself."

The two continued to stay like that for a while, the world around them meaningless for the moment.

"Hey."

"Y-Yeah?" Ken answered with a less shaky tone this time, his impediment mostly the only reason for his stutter.

"I'm sorry."

"H-Huh?" They broke the hug to look at each other, their arms still ready to act if needed to.

"I didn't know how nervous you were back then." She looked down in dismay. "I knew our first C-Rank would've meant a lot to us even before. I was a bit nervous myself too, but I guess I had forgotten your situation."

It took Ken a few seconds to realize what she meant by that. It was probably his inability to mold his chakra.

"So, sorry, for even expecting you to be ready for something like that."

"N-No!" He almost yelled, surprising the blonde and even himself. "I-It wasn't y-your fault, o-okay? I s-should've b-been read-y for s-such miss-ions w-when I s-signed up f-for be-ing a n-n-ninja. So i-if it's a-anyone's fault, it's m-mine."

She stared at him, then nodded in understanding. She did not agree with his self-loathing, but Naruko decided it was something he would rather take responsible for than to share it.

"Why then?"

"Huh?"

"Why won't you let me help you mold your chakra? It would be so much easier if someone gave you a hand."

Ken frowned. Not this again. He already told her, didn't he? "I-I told you, my d-d-dad's helping me."

"Your dad's not even a ninja himself." She furrowed a bit, but then looked away once she realized what her mouth had just let out. "Sorry. I didn't mean to insult him. Have you at least made progress?"

Ken lied again, nodding as a response. He didn't even wanted to speak on the topic. It was all just a façade, and he didn't wanted his pie hole to tangle him in a larger web of falseness.

She sighed. "Well, if you say so. But you know you could ask me for help anytime, okay?"

He nodded again, his guiltiness too great right then to mutter a simple approval.

He felt dirty. And it wasn't just his outsides either.

He felt contaminated. Why couldn't he just be honest with her? Why lie? What could he possibly hope to gain? It was an endless cycle until he breaks it. But he just couldn't. He just couldn't reveal the poisonous reality to her. The reality that her closest friend had been lying to her from the very beginning.

Question was: Where did it all start? When did he start sprouting this huge, infested web?

Frankly, he didn't even want to remember. It was just _that_ painful.

* * *

Kenjo sat on the plain grass, as usual. He watched how Naruko and Sasuku duked it out, as usual. And his sensei read his Icha-Icha paradise next to him…

…_as usual_.

"H-Hey, Kakashi-s-sensei?" He looked up at the standing pillar.

"Hmm?" He gave his student a glance.

"W-Would it b-be okay if I-I-I-I-I–" Oh crud! He stopped, his mouth shut, calming himself for a moment before trying to continue. All the while, Kakashi seemed to be tolerating his time consumption from his book quite well, or at least, trying to. Ken knew he could be a bit of a handful sometimes… ALL the time, he guessed. Especially with this damn disorder in the way. I mean, even _he_ was going insane with how much irritation in total he received from the flipping thing! "…if I-I were to g-go in the f-forest to tr-ain?"

Kakashi eyed him for a second. He wanted to train in the forest? Why that place in particular? The copy ninja knew the kid's patience might have ran out due to watching the two seemingly more 'adequate' ninjas each and every single time, while he sat there doing nothing… _each and every time_, so that was readily apparent. It wasn't as if he wasn't allowed to spar with the others, Kakashi even offered him to go first. But Kenjo wasn't enthused to take any of them on. The copy ninja wished he knew the reason though. It could be out of fear, but who knows? "Why not here in the opening?"

Ken looked down and bit his lip. The green preteen could practically feel the piercing curious stare Kakashi gave him from above. He knew the man was going to ask him that. Why wouldn't he? Ken knew probably everyone in the entire village knew of his unmoldable chakra, including Kakashi-sensei. So there was not a lot he could do in terms of training.

Maybe his taijutsu, and his precision with his Ninja tools, but that was about it. And all of them could be sharpened in the open field they were currently in, so why specifically the forest? "W-Well, I was h-h-hoping to brush on m-my t-traps for f-f-further usage."

That was half true though. The more dominating reason was Ken's fear of being center stage. His irrational anxiety of being stared at, he assumed, had been born during the academy.

_Do a Bunshin no Jutsu._

Failed.

_Do a Henge no Jutsu._

Failed.

_Do a Kawarimi no Jutsu._

Failed, failed, and failed.

There was no hope for him, so training in front of his team, despite it being futile once things would get heated up, such as the dreadful ambush two days ago, Ken would be stiff still with 'stage fright'. Honestly, it's a stupid thing to have, he knew that, but knowing his flaws never helped it go away, no matter how hard he tried.

Trying all sorts of methods in his 'Ninja One-Oh-One' book to mold his chakra had taught him that valuable lesson. But he did try a few times on things he hadn't attempted before regardless, since Ken always hoped that he could somehow find that special talent he had hidden inside of him some day, if he even had one that is. No matter how shrouded the possibility might be.

_You will never know if you don't try, 'ttebayo!_

He smiled at the memory.

But digress aside, Ken hoped that Kakashi couldn't see through him, that his excuse was good enough to hide his pathetic fear.

Thankfully, he seemed to buy it. "Okay, but don't go too far. Needing to fetch you will already be an unneeded necessity as it stands."

The boy smiled at the response. At least he would have some alone time now. "A-Arigatou!"

And that was the first time, he and Kakashi had exchanged a two-way conversation, regardless of how short and professional it was.

* * *

_"Hey freak, nice ears."_

_*Collection of laughter*_

"_Man, you look like an ugly dog with those things."_

_*More Laughter*_

_She frowned._

_He frowned from afar._

_She felt, sad._

_He felt a powerful anger within that kept boiling with every laugh that from the group's mouth._

_She got tugged and pushed around._

_He had enough._

_But he was beaten up once he intervened._

_Punch after punch._

_Blow after blow._

_Splatter after blood splatter._

_They laughed all the way home._

_She looked down, horrified at the sight._

_He tried flashing a smile, but his mouth was swollen and bruised._

_She slowly opened her mouth, and spoke._

* * *

"Hey, kid."

Ken turned around. It was a small girl. A lot younger than him. Maybe seven or eight? He didn't know. He was actually surprised though. It wasn't everyday someone came up to him. Scratch that, it was everyday someone came up to him, to spit on him, harass him in one shape or form, just to get their message across. To represent everyone else's opinion on him.

That they _hated_ him.

This felt like one of those moments, only it was a young girl this time. Strange though, younglings were the only ones who seemed indifferent. But this was just a remake, right? Just with a younger representative, right? It had to be.

Regardless, Ken spoke up, only to not be impolite. "M-Me?"

"Yeah, you."

She stopped near his position, staring at him with a neutral expression. Well, as neutral as her furrowing black eyes could allow her. It was a nice evening. The orange sky was radiating a beautiful trance for Konoha, and Ken was enjoying it whilst walking 'home'. At least, until he was stopped by a little girl.

"You're my sister's teammate, right?"

Huh? Sister?

"W-Which one?"

"Sasuku." She said dully, as if it was obvious.

"S-Sasuku?" He blinked, but caught himself once he really had a good look at her. Her tiny figure was enveloped in a black striped silk– probably expensive– it's sleeves loosely hiding her palms, her small fingers popping out from the end. Her shorts was the same design and color, it's greyness stopping midway through her thighs. But what was more eye catching was her eyes.

Pitch black.

Just like Sasuku's.

"Y-You're S-S-Sasuku's s-sister?"

Her face grimaced a bit. "I had stated that Sasuku was my sister, didn't I? How much more clarification do you need?"

He frowned at that. _'Well, she seems very mature for her age, that's for sure.'_ "C-Can I help y-you then?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, you certainly can." She folded her small arms across her chest. "I want you to teach me everything you know about being a ninja."

…Come again? "E-Excuse me?"

She grimaced at this. "Don't tell me you need a hearing aid, doofus."

Ken blinked. He actually didn't know how to respond to that. He could say no, but he was using the time to recover from her harsh words. It had been a while since he had last been in a heated conversation. As heated as this was at least. Usually he just ignored such remarks that flew around him from all different angles, but now he was talking back, and he was at a lost of words.

"Well? Don't just stand there. Say something to at least confirm my demand."

"I-I…" He looked around, as if his surroundings would help give him an insight on what the heck was happening. A little girl, Sasuku's sister no less, wanted him to teach her about being a ninja? HIM? The guy that couldn't even mold his own chakra? The guy that wasn't capable of doing anything beneficial for his team two days ago? Was this really happening?

He couldn't be dreaming, right? No, it was mentally impossible for him to. He wouldn't be daydreaming this either. The thought of tutoring anyone was never a thing that popped up in his mind, especially if he already had a difficult time to teach himself. So it made no sense for him to daydream this particular moment.

But how could this be true in the first place? What the hell was going on?

"L-Look, kid–"

"I'm not a _kid_." She glared ferociously, drying Ken's throat. He gulped nervously. _'She certainly has a charming demeanor.'_ Her expression really reminded him of Sasuku when Naruko was crawling under her skin. Maybe it was an Uchiha thing, or just a sister thing, either way, it was really scary.

"S-Sorry. Urm…"

"My name is Sakuri." She said plainly, her glare gone with the wind.

"N-Nice name." He smiled, hoping to brighten the mood. If it did, she certainly wasn't showing any signs that it was. The little girl kept her bored expression in tact, which didn't make things any easier for him. "I-I don't t-think you would w-want me as a-a s-sensei."

"Wait," She seemed to contemplate her decision as well, "You're not the rookie of the year, are you? You're the dead last then, right?"

He slowly nodded, the name still not easy to digest.

"Damn it." She neared her thumb to her mouth, her nail being chewed on in thought. After a while, she continued. "Do you know the way to the better teammate's residence then?"

Better? Again, that hurt, but Ken guessed it was true. But as he opened his mouth, he decided against the idea of telling her the directions. Not only was giving out information like that personal to Naruko, and the fact that he had no consent from his friend _to_ tell her, knowing the blonde's relationship with Sasuku, it was better off if he kept it to himself.

Sasuku was, how Naruko phrased, a _teme_, and how Sakuri seemed to closely resembled his emo teammate, he wasn't sure if Naruko would enjoy her company. I mean, she literally said she 'demanded' that he taught her personally. Granted, it was before she found out his 'real identity', but it didn't matter either way.

And he couldn't risk being in trouble with Naruko. Kami knew how dangerous she was when you pissed her off, just ask Sasuku.

"S-S-Sorry," He shrugged, "no c-clue."

"Damn it." She cursed again, "I can't waste anymore time. I guess you will have to do."

Wait, what? Not again. "S-S-S-Sor–"

"Yeah yeah, you are sorry, I get it. But you can't be that bad. You obviously have enough experience that you had graduated the academy, right? So that's good enough for the meantime. You will teach me from tomorrow onwards how to become a proper Shinobi. And get your teammate's residential location as soon as possible, so that if you suck, I'll have them teach me instead."

"…O-Okay, I guess?"

"Good." She turned around, her clan's crest facing him from the back of her shirt's design. "We'll meet here in the morning, since it's Sunday tomorrow, and your team does not meet up on those days, am I wrong?"

"N-N-No, you a-aren't."

"Very well then. Seven in the morning. Don't be late, or you'll most definitely regret it." She turned to glare at him. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am." He stiffened in apprehension, staring straight forward.

She nodded, then she was off.

Leaving him dumbfounded.

_What the hell just happened…?_

* * *

**End of Chapter**

* * *

**Special thanks to Ezeakel and phelipebr for being my first two reviewers. You guys rule!**

**And for the others who fol/fav, thank you to you too for being so humble in adding me to your list. You guys rock as well.**

**And thank you reader for taking the time to read this chapter. Don't forget to review to share your thoughts though. I would really appreciate it.**

**-Narurific-**


	3. Testing the Waters

**Chapter 03**

**Testing the Waters**

* * *

_He was running. Alone._

"_You demon! I don't want to see you near my Orphanage ever again!"_

_He had been running. Alone._

"_Get away from my store, you bastard!"_

_He kept running. Alone._

"_If you don't leave now, I'm going to call the authorities for you!"_

_He nearly fell, but he continued to sprint. Alone._

"_Don't ever show your face around these parts again, you hear me, you monster!?"_

_As far as his little legs could carry him. Alone._

"_Who's that, mommy?"_

_He was gasping for breath, but he kept going. Alone._

"_Something you should always avoid. Now let's go."_

_He didn't look back, he kept staring forward. Alone._

"_You will never be something more than a beast, you filthy animal!"_

_He tripped, and fell, scraping his palms and knees. He lied there, in the rain. It was raining. All over his soaked body. He had splashed in a puddle. A puddle of his own inferiority. A puddle that no one cared about. He was that puddle. He didn't lift his head up. He kept laying there, feeling the hard splattered landing of droplets over and over again._

_He sobbed, but who could tell? His face was buried in the puddle, occasionally tilting for air. He heard the sound of feet against wet, devoured soil. All around him. They walked around him. Ignoring him. Glaring at him. He could tell. It was the only thing they– life– had given him._

_He was so hungry. So, so hungry._

_He was so hurt. So, so full of it._

_A tear fell. It's contact unheard of. It's visibility blending with the liquid around it. More tears fell. He was breaking down. Hard this time. It was more stronger than the moments in his so-called 'sanctuary' that was his former orphanage. More painful than anything he ever felt. Despite the terrible life style in that building, it was the only place that gave him shelter. The only place that tolerated his presence. Now? It was no more a shelter for him. He was foreign to it. It felt foreign to him. Unfortunately, pain wasn't foreign. Not one bit._

_The wind howled louder. People left the streets to gain a roof over their heads. Leaving him alone. Again._

_He lazily tilted his head up, staring at a nearby patch of grass. It was waving at him. As if welcoming him. It was like the arms of someone that really cared about him._

_Someone that wasn't real, and never would be._

_It wasn't fair. _Life _wasn't _fair. _He couldn't accept something so painful._

_But he did however accepted something else._

_He accepted that the end was nigh. It was all over. There was no point anymore._

Kenjo Tayamaru _swallowed weakly. It was finally time. He decided from then on that…_

…_he was going to _die.

Alone…

* * *

"Hey, kid! Are you even listening to me?"

"W-Wah?!" He almost tumbled back by the sudden appearance of Sakuri in front of him. Wait, where in the– oh, right. Ken was at some sort of Training ground. He didn't know which one Sakuri dragged him to, but it was definitely not Training Ground Three. The sun shone warmly on the outskirts of the field. It's grass absorbing the nice radiation of the morning's ray.

But all of that paled in comparison to the glaring expression of the little girl. "Don't tell me this will be a frequent occurrence of yours. I cannot have you zoning out when your attention should be soling focused on me."

"S-S-Sorry, Saku-chan."

"_Saku-chan_?" She glared even deeper, her face becoming threateningly dark, "Listen here, kid. If you value your life, then you shall not, I repeat _not_, refer to me with such a phrase ever again, you hear me?"

Ken was sweating so many bullets it could fill a river from start to finish. "G-Got it… S-Sakuri?"

She kept on glaring, his body continuing to shiver in it's boots. Then, she calmed her face into her usual furrowing gaze. "That would suffice for now, I guess."

He sighed heavily, feeling already too old for this. How many wrinkles did that leave again? But honestly, Sasuku was no where near this creepy with facial expressions. It's as if Sakuri was a master at giving her company the nastiest of death glares that was ever created. It might have even scared the living urine out of him if Ken didn't hold it in back then.

"Well," she furrowed deeper, giving him just a small glimpse of how frightening she had been a moment ago, "are we going to begin or not?"

"O-Oh, right." He cleared his throat as best he could as he straightened himself up, still feeling his inferiority compared to her, dwelling at the back of his mind. Last night, since he couldn't sleep after all, he took the time to plan ahead with what he was going to teach her, if _this_ was really happening in the end. Thank goodness he did, otherwise he might be enduring another set of ugly glares from the cute little Uchiha in front of him for wasting her time.

_I can't waste anymore time. I guess you will have to do._

"Well, f-f-first off, I g-guess I'll need to k-know what you a-al-ready have l-learned before."

"I know the basics at least." She started. "A bit of taijutsu, along with using my chakra to stand on water and ceilings. My knowledge on what to do in terms of particular crisis had only been gained recently at the Academy though."

"W-Wait," He raised an eyebrow, "you go t-to the Academy?"

"Of course." She deadpanned. "What kid does not go to the Academy?"

"But t-t-then, why a-ask–"

"Demand." Again, she deadpanned.

"…d-demand me t-to teach y-you?"

"I do not think it is any of your concern, now is it?"

Ken blinked his usual confusion through. _'Man, Sakuri isn't making this any easier on me, huh?' _"A-Alright then." He cleared his throat once more, thinking back to his plan on teaching the youngster. "W-Well, I guess w-w-we c-could start with y-your taijutsu first, how d-d-does that s-sound?"

He kept his fingers crossed for this one. Taijutsu was one of the skills that technically anyone could do if they put enough effort into. It was just generally hand-to-hand combat. Again, he wasn't really good at taijutsu despite it being one of the only traits that made up his Ninja Tree, but it was at least a field he felt confident in. Ken wanted to start strong, after all. But still, teaching wasn't something he knew how to do properly, so it all depended on how much experience was in between the two.

'_She said she knew only a bit of taijutsu, so there may be hope that I could teach her something she doesn't know on the matter.'_

For the rest on 'How to become a proper Shinobi', as she seemed determined to be, he'll worry about that bridge once they crossed it.

"Do not ask me, you doofus, you are the teacher, so you should order your lessons in your own personal preference."

"R-Right." He nodded, his nerves slowly kicking in again once she glared at him due to his incompetence. "W-Well, c-could you demon-s-strate your s-skills for me t-then?"

"Fine." She soon took a stance, calming her demeanor, if it weren't already, into one of a collected professional. Ken continued to eye her stoically, noting the familiar position. _'That's the same as Sasuku's posture when she spars with Naru-chan. So it seems the Uchiha has their own style of taijutsu.' _It made sense, he supposed. Each clan he knew of had different poses. The Hyuga had their own, as well as the Inuzuka clan, and so forth. Ken guessed he was using the Academy's style, since it was the only style that he was taught.

If he were to be honest, he liked how tight the Uchiha's style's defense and offence stood amongst all of Konoha's. It was certainly a good technique that seemed to work well for Sasuku when she fought.

Once the girl began, Ken just couldn't take his eyes off of her. It was like a sudden spark had lit up in the situation, making it seemed normal, to something _extraordinary_. Her consistent flow, her undeniable awareness of her surroundings, her snappy strength in each strike. She was _very_ good. It reminded him of Sasuku, but Sakuri had something that the emo didn't, or lacked at least. He couldn't put his finger on it, though her perfect grace was certainly entrancing to even think straight. Ken just kept staring, his mouth slightly open in bewilderment.

Once she straightened herself up, she turned to his dazed form, but he quickly shook it off to address her. Oh crud! This wasn't good. She said a bit. _A bit!_ That wasn't a bit at all, or at least to Ken it wasn't. He didn't know if it was because he kept comparing everyone's talents to his own empty arsenal of personal skills, but it didn't matter.

Sakuri's taijutsu was definitely on a whole other level than his. _'If _that _was her interpretation of _'a bit'_, then I'm almost scared to death to even want to know what other things she can do!'_ He gulped. This wasn't good at all.

How could he teach someone who's obviously better than him? He should've known. Even little kids could look down on him if they wanted to. Maybe it was because she was simply an Uchiha, but the reason behind her skill was irrelevant.

If he didn't come clean soon on his wretched abilities as a ninja, then he wasn't going to see the light of day ever again. He was wasting her time after all.

But he just couldn't. If he did, then she would most definitely kill him for abusing her time regardless. So any way to Sunday– which today was, actually– he was screwed.

Real bad.

Man, Ken really hated his life.

He just had to find a way out of this, even if it killed him.

Well, maybe not_ kill_ though.

"W-W-Well," He rubbed his head, looking away from her impatient posture, "You're c-certainly talent-ed in tai-jutsu that's for s-sure."

She stayed silent, continuing to observe him stoically.

"I-I don't s-suppose there's any r-room f-for im-provement. But t-that's just me. I w-would say that y-your taijutsu is d-d-definitely similar t-to that of S-Sasuku-chan's, i-in terms of s-skill of course."

"You think so?" She kept staring stoically at him, her eyes telling him that she was contemplating on the compliment.

Ken smiled and nodded, glad to at least see that she was responding and accepting the praise. "H-However," He tried to be vague, but that was impossible though, leaving Sakuri to give her attention back to the Genin, "A-As far as t-teaching you a-about taijutsu, I really d-don't think I'm your guy. S-Sorry."

She started to glare at his cowardice, but he quickly made to elaborate for his own well being.

"I-It's not that I-I-I don't want to," that was a lie he hoped she couldn't decipher, "I really w-would like to help on it, I-I swear. It's j-just that we h-have different t-taijutsu styles. So me t-teaching you mine w-would just ruin your f-flow."

Her expression seemed to calm from that, taking on her usual furrowing face. "I see. Then I suppose you would teach me the other aspects on being a proper Shinobi, am I wrong?"

"Huh uh." He shook his head, before giving her a bright smile. At least her expression wasn't threatening to cut off his head. That's a plus in his book.

* * *

"Urgh, this is hopeless!"

Ken stared back at his supposed student. She was practicing on her aiming. They had marked a circle in one of the nearby trees. Her goal? Aim for the inside of the circle. Easier said than done though. Her targets she struck didn't even involve that specific tree at all! It was like there was an invisible barrier around it. And it wasn't as if they were that far from it. The distance in between them was fine for her age, Ken should know, since he practiced with the same spacing when he was around about her age.

The boy frowned though. On one hand he was glad she had settled down on something that needed actual sharpening up, if he were to really teach her anything. But felt sympathetic as well, since she hadn't made a smidge of progress.

He knew how that felt. He was there countless times, and to see someone that could relate with him in that aspect wasn't very satisfying as he thought it might feel.

"H-Hey, don't worry, S-Sakuri. This takes t-time to m-master."

She glared back at him, causing Ken to reel away for safety. "Easy for you to say, you're an experienced Genin! It is technically in your genes to be good at this."

Ken smiled sheepishly, surprised at the sudden compliment. He wasn't really sure of that though. The boy wasn't _that_ good, at least, not as good as Naruko and Sasuku. They were better than him, obviously. But he was pleased that she thought of him like that. It reminded Ken of Naruko's constant encouraging words.

"You're n-not alone, Sakuri. I-I struggled too when I-I was a kid."

"I told you I'm _not_ a _'kid'_!"

"S-Sorry."

"Apologizing is not going to make me better in time!"

In time? He knew that she mentioned not willing to waste any more time, but this sounded more surreal. It was as if she was racing against something? A schedule? He knew it had to be something important to Sakuri at least, but what could it be?

"H-Here." He approached her, receiving a less than frustrated look from her. "Let me h-help you."

She furrowed one more time, not showing any signs of cooperation, but Ken assumed that her 'schedule' made her in the end. "Fine." She sighed, watching him reach out for her, but halted once Sakuri got into an offensive position.

"D-Don't worry," He raised his hands with a nervous smile, "I'm only going t-to help, remember?"

She slowly calmed down, still a bit suspicious though.

He reached out once more, and when Sakuri didn't show any signs of rebellions, Kenjo lifted her hand up from her wrist, moving it in place. He did it for the other as well, then cautiously tried to grab her ankle.

"Hey!"

"Ah!" He flinched from the sudden eruption, then gave her space. "S-Sorry. I was j-just… well, I n-need you to s-slide your leg b-back."

She eyed him for a second, before reluctantly doing so.

"More. M-More… There, t-that's it. Now b-b-bend and lean o-on it a bit."

She did so, watching herself perform before looking back at him expectantly.

"There we g-go. N-Now, I need y-you to picture an in-visible l-line."

"A what?" She furrowed in confusion.

"An in-visible line." He repeated. "Between y-your target and y-yourself. T-Think of it as a-a guide to help you a-a-aim."

Her expression turned into one of understanding, turning back to the tree and focusing her mentality on it.

"N-Now, aim slightly a-above that line."

"Above? Why? Is it not suppose to be a guide toward the target?"

"Yes, it i-is. J-Just trust me on t-this one, o-okay?"

She seemed still doubtful, but did what he told her.

"Now, when y-you're ready t-t-to throw, take a s-step forward with your r-right foot a-and swing."

In a flash, she stepped and swung.

Wood was carved. The tree was hit.

And her black eyes were as wide as saucers.

The shuriken… was inside the circle.

Ken smiled wider. "Ex-cellent, w-way to go, S-Sakuri."

"_I did it." _She murmured, still eyeing the shuriken, before finally breaking her gaze to look at a grinning Ken. "But why did it work this time?"

"I-It's because of h-how you w-were i-initiating your t-throw."

"Elaborate." She furrowed a bit, not wanting to hear the obvious.

"Well," He started, looking back at the tree, "before y-you were throw-ing h-horizontally. The target a-as a whole i-is v-v-vertical, so the r-ratio of h-hitting it was lower t-to what it could b-be if you w-were to p-parallelize their a-angles."

She began to chew her nail in thought.

"F-Furthermore," He continued, "y-you weren't t-taking gravity into c-consider-ation as well, un-fortunately. It's concepts like t-th-ese that can e-easily change y-your ratio if y-you're not skilled e-enough."

She shot him one of her trademark glares, the glare that could mean to end for him.

He started to panic once more. "I-I-I didn't m-mean i-it i-in that way, I s-s-swear!"

"I'm hungry."

He blinked. "W-Wah?"

"I said I'm hungry. Treat me to some edible sources, _now_."

"I-I, well…" He trailed off, speechless at her sudden statement.

"Well, what?"

"…w-well, can't y-you eat at h-home?"

She glared once again. "You expect me to go all the way back to the Uchiha compound and come back to an empty Training Ground? How idiotic do you think I am?"

"E-Empty? W-Why would I-I leave?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe your lack of enthusiasm when I told you to teach me has something to do with it."

Ken frowned. "I-I won't l-leave you h-hang-ing though, that's just r-rude. You w-will even have m-my word!"

"Not going to risk it. Now come on, and treat me to food already."

The boy sighed. Really now, if he really didn't wanted to teach her, then why did he even come here in the first place?

He really hated his life.

* * *

"Oh, Ken-kun, hi." Ayame smiled brightly at the boy, watching him sit down along with a child she hadn't seen before. "Oh, are you with Ken-kun, young lady?"

"Unfortunately, yes." She stared at him with an annoyed expression, earning a sheepish smile from the boy. When Sakuri told Ken to treat her with food, the last expectation she had was ramen. Really now, was he _this _poor that he had to resort to cheap noodles? Now the prospect on her home food really did sound more inviting than before.

But she guessed she was already here. Might as well make the most of it.

'_He better hope that it would be an efficient amount for my stomach, though. For his sake, that is.'_

"Oh my," She giggled, eyeing Kenjo mischievously, "Taking other girls out behind Naruko's back, Ken-kun? I didn't know you were such a player."

"E-Excuse m-me?" His eyes widen in astonishment.

"And with such a young girl, no less. But I guess love comes in all shapes and sizes. And age, I suppose."

"N-N-No, it's n-nothing like that at a-all." He waved his hands in front of him in protest, his face beet red.

"Oh," She raised a playful eyebrow, "so you're not interested in young ones?"

"N-No," He shook his head, "We're just f-f-friends, that's all."

"Wrong." Sakuri stated. "I did not even know his name, until this woman mentioned it, and frankly, I am not even that interested either. He is merely a temporary tutor for my own personal benefit."

…Ow…

"Is that so?" Ayame looked back at Ken. "You certainly know how to pick them, huh Ken-kun?"

The boy sighed at the girl's antics, but he guessed she had a point though. No matter where he went, people never liked his guts. Sakuri only seemed to tolerate him because of what he was expected to offer her. Other than that, he was not important to her, unfortunately. If he wasn't a temporary teacher, then he would bet all his Ryo that Sakuri would turn her back on him as well.

Just as how everyone else did.

"Well then you two, what would it be?"

"M-Miso, please."

"Anything that he can afford, I guess." Sakuri muttered apathetically. Ayame looked back at Ken, who ordered another miso.

"S-So, Sakuri," He tried starting, the awkward silence not enjoyable for his taste, "I-Is there any-thing else you k-k-know in t-terms of ninja p-priorit-ies?"

Sakuri looked at him for a second, before returning her head forward in a bored manner. "No, unfortunately. I haven't been taught beyond what I mentioned before."

"B-But you s-said you knew a b-bit of tai-jutsu?"

"Your point?"

"Your t-technique was f-flawless." He earned a momentary glance from the girl before she idly looked forward again. "I-I mean, I don't k-know much a-bout the U-Uchiha tai-j-jutsu, but c-compared to S-Sasuku's flow, you s-seemed to be an e-e-exact replica of your s-sister."

The girl hummed in response. "I suppose so."

"W-What do you m-mean?" He raised a brow at her reply.

"What I _mean_," She glared at the Genin, "is none of your concern. Have I not been strict with my boundaries before? Or are you just that of a doofus?"

Ken's mouth gaped a bit, but closed after a while. "I guess… the l-latter…"

Sakuri raised her eyebrow, genuinely surprised. "So you agree with your incompetence then?"

He looked down at his lap, images of his failed attempts at being a formidable ninja flashing through his eyes. Each and every single one of them was like a mirror. A mirror that gave him insight on how _incompetent_ he really was as a Shinobi. He unintentionally swallowed hard. "…

* * *

_…Yeah…"_ He stared at himself. His reflection. He was naked. He took a 'shower'. A shower, which consisted of nothing more than splashes of contaminated kitchen water. The glass was cracked and partially in shambles at some of it's corners. The recent reminder was a positive outcome. For his negative feelings, that is. But no matter how he looked at it, it was true.

It was all true. His past. His inability. His stubbornness to not give up. It was all just a ball of yarn. A ball of excusable yawn. A ball that was just an excuse to keep him from doing what he decided to do years ago.

_He decided right then and there, and he was going to die._

Ken choked. It wasn't easy. The truth wasn't easy to bare. After years of living, he was still enduring it. How long though? How much longer would he be able to keep going? To keep denying his inevitable demise? He wanted it to end it.

_Drip._

He just wanted it all to end.

_Drip. Drip._

Why couldn't it just _end_?!

_Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip._

Why was he still living, Kami damn it?! Why?! He gritted his teeth, grinding them with a subsequent of his inner pain. _'Why…?'_

_Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip._

"W-WHY CAN'T Y-YOU JUST F-F-FUCKING DIE!?"

Crash!

Blood dripped alongside his tears.

Black and crystal clear droplets respectively.

His only mirror, or what was left of it, was now just a pile of shattered uselessness. Just like how he was.

_Hang yourself._

He clutched his eyes as tight as his black-streaked fist was.

_Hang yourself. Hang yourself._

He looked up, and started walking to a poor excuse of a cupboard. His breath was shaky as his feet. He reached for the knob and pulled with hesitance.

_Hang yourself. Hang yourself. _Hang yourself!

He stared at the contents. A bloody kunai. And a bloody rope.

The same rope that he found when he was young, when he was _so_ determined to end it all. Then, his eyes laid on the kunai. The kunai he had been using since his return from his C-Rank mission. A common ninja tool along with the Shuriken. Along with the same type of object that stabbed him in the shoulder.

The same object that made his lifeless life feel… _lively_.

He grabbed the object, and with no hesitation in his blank eyes, straightened his left naked arm…

…and swiped.

* * *

"Hey, dead last."

Ken turned his head to acknowledge his Uchiha teammate. It was a warm, Monday morning. Team Seven was making their way to their designated training ground in peace, well, Naruko was explaining to him how her Sunday went, but it was still peaceful to him none the less, until he was suddenly called out by his teammate on his left.

Sasuku Uchiha.

"Y-Yeah?"

"I heard that you were harassing my sister yesterday."

Ken's eyes widen in surprise.

He stopped in his tracks. Along with Sasuku, then Naruko, and eventually Kakashi.

"W-W-Where did y-you hear that?"

"So you _were_ harassing her." He could feel his skin turn even more paler than it already was at the sight of Sasuku's grimacing face. A face that could rival her sister's. "You think just because you're my 'teammate' you're allowed to run amok on my family?"

"Hey, what are you guys talking about, eh?" Naruko intervened, smelling a burning tension between the two.

"N-N-N-N–"

"Let me get one thing clear with you, _dead last_." She approached the recoiling boy, stopping dangerously close to him. Ken could tell by the sheer venom in her eyes, apart from her tone of course, that Sasuku was just one button away from snapping his neck if she wanted to. Then, in an instant, he felt himself being pulled nearer by the scarf around his neck. "If you _ever_ so much of think to approach Sakuri again, I will _end_ you with no regrets."

_End it already._

_Hang yourself._

"Got it!?"

_Do it._

_Do it!_

_DO IT!_

"Hey, let go of him, teme!" Naruko growled, but before she could make her way toward them, Sasuku shoved him to his behind, turning her back to the fallen boy as she continued her way to the Training Ground. Alone.

Ken's eyes were shadowed, Naruko's concerning voice in the background.

He swallowed the glob in his throat. He held his tears back as best he could.

_Kenjo Tayamaru really hated his life._

* * *

"Alright, I think today we're going to do something different than sparring." Kakashi spoke up. Before they could react though, the three Genin watched the man disappear in a puff of smoke, only to leave multiple versions of himself standing in a row.

"What's this all about, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruko eyed the clones suspiciously, gaining numerous of eye smiles from the bunch.

"I want you to find and attack the original." One Kakashi said, before another continued.

"But beware though, I've given each of my clones a paper bomb that they would detonate before dispersing."

"So it's just a simple game of 'hit the right Kakashi-sensei' then?"

"Yes, I suppose it is." The far right one said before the one next to it followed up.

"Truthfully, there will likely be enemies that will try to hide in a clever place, I.E. a bunch of fake copies of themselves."

"So it's your job to pierce through their illusive defenses." Another one stated.

The blonde girl smirked. "This should be fun." As expected, Naruko rushed in recklessly and punched the nearest Kakashi, only for an explosion to occur in his place.

"N-Naru-chan!" Ken reached out a hand from afar, seeing the girl on one knee. That was not a good sign. A paper bomb wasn't a toy to mess around with, that's readily apparent, so having one detonate in your face will usual leave one laying flat on the ground. But Naruko wasn't. Yes, she was bent to one knee, but she was still conscious. And that said a lot about her persistency. It was even amazing to Ken how she quickly picked herself up afterward.

He breathed a sigh of relief though. She had him worried there for a second, but Naruko seemed to be okay to go.

Still…

He noted however, the more hesitant girl before him was now observing the scattering Kakashis around the field. That explosion might have made her more wary than before, as time seemed to stop despite the still moving, illusive copies flying around.

'_This should teach the girl that rushing in is never always a good thing, and most of the time a bad sign of impatience and ignorance.' _Kakashi thought to himself, seeing his three students still standing firm. He decided to attempt to tick their nerves. "What's the matter, you three? Afraid? That's really unbecoming of a true ninja though."

"Shut it, Kakashi-sensei." Naruko growled offensively. "I'm not scared of taking lead."

"Then what's the hold up, huh? Where did all that spunk go?"

The orange kunoichi just gritted her teeth in agitation.

"And what about you, Sasuku-chan? You are an Uchiha, am I right? Or are you just all bark but no bite?"

Sasuku glared dangerously, but said nothing as her eyes continued to move sporadically with the movements of Kakashi's clones.

"And then there's Ken-kun." Ken's spine crawled at the mention of his name. "What would _you_ do in a situation like this, hmm? Would you act helplessly like you did on your first C-Rank mission, or will you finally take charge and prove the doubters wrong?"

Ken still at this.

"H-Hey, that's a low blow, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruko growled even more.

"So?" his voice rung around them, as if all of the clones were speaking at once. "Do you think your enemies would attack you from higher up? If you three truly _expect _them to, then you're more ignorant than I thought. What have you learned at the Academy, I wonder? What valuable information have you gained in being a ninja that they decided to flick you over as graduates. You're just shaming the Ninja Academy, _and_ Konoha as a whole with how you respond to circumstances like these."

"Shut up!" She swung, and an explosion occurred.

Sasuku tried to attack as well, but faced the same result.

The two attempted again and again, but came out empty handed.

Ken just stood by. Just like the start of their Survival Test. Poof after poof, and he just watched the failed attempts with pain due to the truth Kakashi-sensei spoke.

Pain…

Such a simple four letter word, and yet, it was so powerful in every other feature of it's origins. Ken swallowed. His eyes shadowed once more. So far, he felt pain. He dealt with it so many times before. His _arm_ dealt with it so many times before. Yet, as the battle for the original reigned on, the green preteen felt weary of the feeling.

Pain.

Only pain that he recently felt comfortable with was lacerations of immense emotion. Not this hurtful heart, or his churning intestines. He felt calm with what he did to himself.

Content.

Like death finally caught him in an endless crossfire of tedious shots from all different directions.

Kakashi.

Sasuku.

The village.

The world.

His life.

So this _pain_ he felt right now was more frustrating than hurtful. He breathed in, and out. Now wasn't the time to get all emotionally entranced with his problems. He stared up at the chaos, Naruko and Sasuku doing their best to avoid any fatal injuries from Kakashi's explosions.

Ken looked at each blur of a Kakashi. He couldn't see any distinct difference between the remaining bunch. They were Kage Bunshins after all, and maybe their speed was making it hard for him to see clearly in the first place. Try as he might, he couldn't really see any way out of this mess. He couldn't sense any differences either. Maybe because he needed actual molding of chakra to do a better job, or it was technically impossible to tell them apart.

He would bet the latter.

It seemed like the only way out of this predicament was to go through the copies one by one, hoping that they would succeed eventually, if Kakashi-sensei didn't purposefully increase his copies each time to compensate the loss of the attacked.

But that would be ridiculous then! Their sensei wouldn't allow them to go through all that trouble, right? What kind of a test was that? No, there had to be a way out of this that Kakashi-sensei would know and that they were just not seeing.

Otherwise, this test was just a waste of time.

Test…

Waste of time…

Ken mentally rubbed his chin. Could a hint be hidden back there? Their last survival test didn't go so well. They _wasted time_ going through it individually than as a team. What else? Well, they graduated by simply being selfless. That, Kakashi-sensei had said, was what a team stood for.

Then… what? Were they suppose to work to together again? To do what? Take on the clones? Was Naruko and Sasuku not doing just that? He would certainly not be of help, at least, not _that_ much of a helpful hand. Then what could it be?

Selflessness…

Graduating…

They ignored Kakashi's warnings. Naruko and Sasuku had absorbed their sensei's insults just then. So they were doing the opposite of what had done a week ago.

Or maybe… maybe that's just what the original want them to do! To be wavered away from what was true.

True…

What a second…

"_Truthfully, there will likely be enemies that will try to hide in a clever place…"_

He turned around, and squinted.

His eyes widened, and then swung a kunai with precision.

All of the clones dispersed at the same time, leaving Naruko and Sasuku with confusion.

"W-What the–"

"Good job, Ken-kun." Shunshining forth came a eye smiling Kakashi.

"Wait, what just happened? Why did the test stop? And what did Ken do?" Naruko looked back and forth between the two.

"He found the solution to the test."

"What?" Sasuku's eyes widened before eyeing Ken in surprise.

The boy just felt sheepish with all of the eyes on him.

"But… how?"

"That's a good question, Sasuku-chan." Kakashi turned to his male student. "Care to explain to us how you found out, Ken-kun?"

"W-W-Well…" He rubbed the back of his head, "…I d-didn't actually do i-it on my o-own. Our l-last survival t-training helped out."

"Oh." Kakashi seemed genuinely surprised, but kept his ears open intently.

"W-We were told t-t-to not share o-our bentos with Naru-c-chan. But o-once we did, you passed u-us, Kakashi-sensei." He stopped rubbing his head to look straight toward his teacher. "During t-this test you created y-your first batch of K-Kage Bunshins. But w-what I found odd c-compared to Naru-chan's w-way of exe-cuting it was that h-her original n-n-never becomes c-covered with s-smoke, only h-her summon-ed clones, where-a-as with s-sensei, y-yours had. That w-was p-probably when you s-s-shunshin'd behind u-us."

He pointed toward a batch of trees.

"W-What really g-g-gave the g-game away t-though was your f-false state-ment to fail u-us a week a-ago if we s-shared. T-To s-swerve us away from t-t-the truth. And your i-insults earlier felt t-the same to me. S-So reading in w-what you said a-about hiding in c-clever places, I put t-two and two to-gether and from t-there onwards was h-h-history."

Naruko and Sasuku both seemed astonished at what they just heard, leaving Kakashi with his usual eye smile.

"You thought of all that in such a short time?" Naruko asked, still bewildered.

Ken simply nodded.

"Too bad it was only Ken-kun," Kakashi sighed, "I wanted all three of you to figure it out together as a team. Maybe next time, you two won't ignore and leave your third teammate out of all the fun."

Naruko frowned. "I'm sorry, Ken. I gone and did it again. Taking charge and leaving you out to dry. I forgot all about you."

Ken shook his head, surprised at her sudden apology. "N-No, it's n-not your fault. It's none o-of yours." He stared at Sasuku, who turned her head to side with a grunt. "I'm j-just too slow to catch u-u-up anyway."

"No, you're not." Naruko furrowed at his accusation. "You _are_, however, the cool Ken though."

Ken blushed brightly at the compliment. "N-N-No I'm not."

"Yes, you are." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "And from now on, we'll work together. All three of us…" She looked back at Sasuku, before looking back in his red eyes. "…as a _team_."

Ken smiled brightly, his once stoic eyes lighting up with emotion. Hearing Naruko say those words really made him feel something. It made him feel as if he was included. That he was finally included and needed. As if he truly graduated from the Academy and was finally on a team.

A team he was proud to be part of.

But despite this warm feeling inside his stomach, something felt off. Something felt… amiss. Like a piece of the puzzle, a piece to what he felt to be his rightful place as the third team member, was missing in action. It was troubling to know that, and as Ken continued to wonder what it was, the clouds that wasn't even there struck him with realization.

"Since you guys must be exhausted with all of those paper bombs, how about we take a little break, huh?"

"Yaata!" Naruko chirped with a fist pump. "Can we grab a bite to eat then? I'm hungry."

"Did you not have breakfast, Naruko-chan?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah, but that felt like ages ago. Let's go to Ichiraku Ramen for a bite, eh?"

"Why do _you _get to choose, idiot?" Sasuku glared at the prospect of eating cheap ramen so early in the morning.

"Shut it, teme! Think of it as punishment for harassing Ken this morning!"

"He harassed my sister."

"No, he didn't."

"How would you know?"

"'Cause he wouldn't do such a thing! Maybe if you took the _time_ out of your life to bond with your teammates, then maybe you would know that."

"And why would I bond with the dead last?"

"Now now you two, settle down." Kakashi tried to intervene but quickly back track when he saw the piercing glares from both of them.

"STAY OUT OF THIS!"

"Urm, excuse m-me?"

They all turned to the source in question.

Kenjo.

Ken cleared his throat nervously, feeling uncomfortable with such attention. "P-Please, let's n-not fight, you g-g-guys. I know i-it might be d-d-difficult for you t-two to get along, b-but we're a t-team, are w-w-we not? Let's t-try to p-put our differences a-aside and enjoy our f-f-free time as one, okay?"

He didn't know where he got the back-bone to even consider putting himself in the line of fire like that, especially after Kakashi-sensei's failed attempt, but he just couldn't stand to witness their hate for each other anymore. They were a team, not enemies. They needed to cooperate with one another if they were to succeed in their missions, especially their C-Rank missions, if they were to get another that is.

The three kept staring at him like he just committed a crime and was sentenced to be the center of attention. He tried to ignore it though. Finally, Naruko grumbled lowly.

"Well, if Ken wants me to behave, then I guess I'll try my best to put up with you, teme."

Sasuku just grunted in response, turning her back to Naruko just like she was doing to her. "This _is_ our break after all, so I guess I'll put with you as well."

Ken smiled at this, feeling a great deal of weight lifting itself off of his shoulders.

"A-Arigatou, you g-guys."

Naruko turned her head to grin at him with a nod.

Sasuku continued to look away.

And Kakashi? He just couldn't believe his eye.

"B-B-But before w-we head out," He caught their attention once more, looking at Kakashi-sensei expectantly, "C-Can I redo m-my intro, Kakashi-s-s-sensei?"

The man seemed perplexed for a second, before understanding what the boy meant by that. "You sure? You don't need to do it if you don't want to."

"N-No," Ken shook his head, his rush of happiness, with a hint of unnerving emotion, still coursing through his veins. "I-I do. Please."

Kakashi stared at him for a moment, but nodded in acceptance. "The stage is all yours, Ken-kun."

"Doumo, Kakashi-sensei." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He was going through with it to the end this time, no matter what.

_If you can't do a simple introduction, how are you expected to stand alongside Naruko and Sasuku?_

_You're nothing more than a living corpse that needs to die._

_Hang yourself._

_Die._

_Do it._

_Do it._

_DO IT!_

'_NO!'_ Ken snapped his eyes open, startling the bunch a bit. Not again! He was through being a doormat for Death. Not again, damn it! He will show them all. He will show _himself_ that he can at least do this damn thing! He wasn't going to fail a second time!

"M-My name…" He looked at the three one by one, a determined glint in his ruby orbs, "…is K-Kenjo Tayamaru."

_Stop embarrassing yourself._

"My l-likes are reading b-boo… my l-likes are r-reading b-b-b-b–"

_Just drop dead already!_

"–books…"

_You're not doing yourself a favor._

"…and e-enjoying time with m-my precious friends."

_I decided right then and there, that I was going to _die_._

"I-I don't have a-any dislikes a-aside from seeing m-m-my precious friends g-get hurt."

_One day, she'll realize just how big of a loser you really are. And when that happens, she'll spit on your presence just like the rest of them. Then you will have no choice but to hang yourself. So spare yourself the heartache and die already._

He clutched his eyes from that one. "My h-hobbies…"

_I can't even kick the chair and end it. How worthless I am?_

"…are t-training…"

_I will always be a wannabe Shinobi. ALWAYS._

"…and l-learning new t-t-things about the w-world."

_Why…?_

"My g-goal in life…"

_Why…!?_

He opened his eyes.

_W-WHY CAN'T Y-YOU JUST F-F-FUCKING DIE!?_

"…is to one day b-become a w-worthy Konoha S-Shinobi, s-so that I may s-stand and fight a-alongside my p-peers. T-That is my dream. And t-that, is w-what I _will_ become!"

* * *

**End of Chapter**

**So, how was it? I know it's a bit shorter than the other two, but I tried to give it a certain flare without extending it that far.**

**Anyway, thanks to all who reviewed since my last update, you guys rule!**

**Be sure to comment so that your voice can be heard. I'll truly appreciate it!**

**-Narurific-**


	4. Static Emergence

**Chapter 04**

**Static Emergence**

* * *

_Ken frowned at the sealed box in his hands. The boy hoped this would work. It was the only thing he could come up with. Besides, it always cheered him up to know that someone out there cared enough to give him a snack. So this would definitely be a good of an apology._

_Again, hopefully it would work. It could just be him that enjoyed bentos being magically dropped on his doorstep. He held his fingers crossed just in case._

"_E-E-Ex__–__" He stuttered just above a whisper, but it made her stop in her tracks nonetheless. The blue haired person looked back, and saw his timid state. Ken bit his lip, the attention sending him on a trip of unease. "Excuse m-me, but p-please accept this b-b-bento as an a-apology for my a-actions the other d-d-day."_

_She blinked at the offer, seeing the box in the boy's outstretched hands. Now it was her turn to bite her own bottom lip. This boy… he was the same boy from before. He was apologizing? For what? He didn't do anything wrong. That encounter was unintentional, so there was no need for this._

_Did those kids get to him? Did he really believe that he did something wrong? He didn't. But as he continued to bow, as he continued to show respect to someone like her, someone around his own age, she felt a small, shy smile tugging on the corners of her mouth._

"_T-This i-isn't necessary__–__"_

"_P-P-Please!" He nearly shouted in hesitation, startling the pure eyed girl. "I-I-I… I j-just would l-like to make up f-for the sc-ene I created y-yesterday. So please, f-find it in your h-heart to for-g-give me?"_

_She stared, flabbergasted at how persistent he was. 'He really think he's in the wrong that deeply?' She frowned, her hands against her chest timidly. It seemed that there was only one way to end this issue then._

_She slowly reached out with her small hands and…_

* * *

"Hey, kid, I'm talking to you!"

Ken blinked as usual, then looked down. Sakuri stared back up with her hands on her hips and an incomparable glare painting her facial features.

"How many times are you going to deliberately ignore me before I severely cripple you?"

"O-Oh." Ken said calmly, trying his best to keep calm under her uncomfortable expression. "I w-was just think-ing of what w-would your n-next lesson be a-about."

"Actually," She stood up straight, her arms crossed over her chest, "if you were paying attention earlier, then you would know that I would prefer that today's lesson to be decided by me."

"Y-You?" He raised a genuine eyebrow at the proposition. Well, this was certainly new. Granted it was only the second day of her training with him, but so far he was expected to teach her in his own way. Sakuri seemed more assertive in their training however, ever since he showed her how to aim properly. It was either that or the young Uchiha wanted to improve on something she felt lacking in as soon as possible. "W-Well, what do you h-h-have in mind?"

"My chakra." She started. "I want to learn how to do ninjutsu."

Ken's eyebrows went wide with surprise, and an unnerving feeling in his mouth supplied itself. "Y-You, what?"

"Are you deaf?" She glared. "What I'm saying is I would like to perform _nin-jut-su_."

"N-Ninjutsu…" The word left a bitter taste on Ken's tongue. If he thought her taijutsu was extremely better compared to his– despite his just being the typical Academy style– then _this_ roadblock definitely took the cake. He had a feeling something like this might happen, where he was unable to avoid his insignificance compared to her obvious skill in broad daylight, and yet Ken held his fingers cross the entire time instead of prepping himself for it. Now that it was finally time, he didn't know what to do.

Somehow, he dodged a shot when it came to learning her taijutsu, but now it was just too much to bare.

There was absolutely no way he'll be able to teach her this, right? It wasn't possible to educate something that you had no luck on yourself. He just had to come clean then, it was the only logical solution. But would she even tolerate his incapability? He had evaded in crossing her malicious line of warning so far, so there was no telling what she might do to him if he actually did.

Done in by a kid. How wonderful his demise was going to be.

No. Ken wasn't going to let that happen. He had denied the voices in his head this morning, so he wasn't going to let it get the better of him again. He was a new Ken right now. A Ken that _will_ become a formidable ninja. Just they watch, he was going to get by no matter what!

He might not be able to do ninjutsu, or any jutsu for that matter– except maybe taijutsu– but he had read countless times on how to do it in search of a desperate answer. Ken could use his knowledge to his advantage, despite his entire physical self being handicapped on the predicament.

"Well?" He flinched at the disruption, "Are you going to teach me or what?"

"S-Sure, of c-course." He ended up saying. "But m-may I ask why t-though?"

"…Why what?"

"Why are y-you not able t-to do it your-self?"

"Do what? Ninjutsu?"

"Yeah…" He nodded as calmly as he could, "I-Is it because the A-Academy isn't teaching y-you it themselves for s-some reason?"

She bit her lip and swung her head to the side. Sakuri kept silent, perplexing the Genin before answering. "That's none of your concern."

"But I n-need to know at l-l-least, Sakuri."

"No, you don't." She snapped back at him, annoyance in her eyes. "You do not need to know that to teach me."

Now it was Ken's turn to keep silent as he continued to watch her glaring form, his inner self scared to death at what it could mean for his well being but his outer shell stayed as strong as it could. "F-Fine then." He looked to his side. "I'm not g-going to pry it o-o-out of you, so you don't n-need to worry a-about reveal-ing it."

The wind slowly soared passed them, their hair flowing gently in rhythm. Sakuri kept eyeing him as if he was a statue that had been sprayed on by a bunch of hooligans, and Ken continued to allow the time to extend peacefully, to at least give him time to recap on what she needed to reproduce from his book of being a ninja.

"Well?" She asked impatiently.

"F-Firstly," He finally spoke, "since it's y-your first time, I-I need you to c-c-calm your b-body so t-that your ch-chakra flows in a g-gentle cadence."

Without another word, Sakuri sat down quietly and slowly attempted to synchronize her breathing with her heartbeat.

Ken sat down as well, watching her intently as her expression calmed down into a docile nature. It was actually odd, seeing the usually cranky, easily annoyed Uchiha in this state. It was as if she turned over a new leaf in an instant. The entire situation was actually heart warming. It reminded him of how upset he usually got with his inability and failures, and how he failed each time to properly approach and take care of it.

If such a young girl like Sakuri could manifest her anger into one of collectiveness, then he could too with his own. Granted, they were technically different from one another, Ken's was, in his own opinion, a conglomeration of a lack of self-esteem and social miscellaneous, but still, a problem is a problem, no matter how you look at it.

It was during this time that he was brought out of his mind and back to reality by the familiar voice in front of him. "How will I know if my body is fully calmed down?"

"You'll know it w-when you get t-t-there." Sakuri's face crunched up in unsatisfactory from the cryptic answer though. "It d-depends on the p-person's mind sight as well. If you're t-t-too troubled by some-thing during your m-meditation, then y-y-you will get n-nowhere fast."

"I suppose I am troubled by something."

"Really? W-What is it then?"

"Your constant bickering." She opened her eyes to give him a momentary glare before going back to her calm demeanor.

Ken felt like Sakuri had just given his mouth a closed zipper jacket as a Christmas gift. But he just couldn't help himself. "S-Sorry."

Sakuri's eyebrow twitched.

Then, silence devoured them once more, until Ken remembered something. "Your s-sister scowled me o-out earlier t-t-today."

"Wow, I wonder why."

There was obvious sarcasm behind her tone, but the lack of the issue's mentioning kept him going. "S-Someone had t-t-told her I was h-harassing you."

One eye popped opened from her once closed eye socket. "So?"

Ken blinked. "B-But I d-didn't."

"Depends on how you view it." She closed her eye once more. "An older boy with a younger girl, all alone in an open yet unoccupied field. I don't blame her for thinking so."

"B-But she was told."

…

"Was i-it you?" She opened her eye again at the question.

"Me what? Telling her of our time together? I hardly interact with that selfish emo of a sister of mine."

"Really? W-Why?"

"Do you?"

"D-Do I what?"

"Interact with her aside from supplementary conversations as a team?"

Ken opened his mouth, but closed it when agnization dawned on him. He couldn't prove her wrong because she was on par, as usual. He barely interacted with her at all outside their profession, and the only times they did was subtle and barely anything at all. The closest he had gotten was the subject over whether he was harassing Sakuri or not, and that was an argument though. Other than that, they were complete strangers to each other.

It shocked him to find his mind coming across this piece of information only now, as well as saddened Ken. He only spent time with Naru-chan and nobody else. If he were to expect a strong alliance in his team, then he had to get to know her better, a more deeper understanding with the older Uchiha. She was like a lonesome Academy student turned Genin in Ken's eyes, and only now he felt like one of his number one priorities was to initiate a personal connection between the them.

That was something Ken _will_ accomplish however, he would _not _aim for anything less than that.

"Well?"

He looked up at the girl, and finally shook his head. "N-No, I haven't."

"So we sail on the same boat then." She closed her eye once more before resuming, "It was probably my personal Anbu."

"W-What now?"

"The person who weaseled our encounters. My personal Anbu my mother assigned me with as a general necessity once I'm alone at home, or wherever I suppose."

"S-So he was t-the one who snitched o-o-on us?"

"_She_," Sakuri corrected, "and yes. She follows me everywhere I go, like an unneeded bodyguard."

Ken looked around with widened eyes. He didn't know they were being watched constantly. But he suppose that fact should've been embedded until mentioned, since Anbu were always good at sneaking up and staying hidden.

"She is in the woods, you doofus." The girl stated, pitch black eyes still closed calmly. "Use your ninja senses, why don't you?"

He chuckled.

"What's so funny?" She opened her eyes to glare in his once amused, now wary red eyes.

If only she knew how lacking his ninja senses really were. "S-S-Sorry, the way you s-said that last part w-was hilarious."

"No it was not." Her glare deepened threateningly.

"O-Okay, I believe y-you." He raised his hands. Sakuri simply sighed.

"This is hopeless. I cannot concentrate with your presence around me."

"S-S-S–"

"If you are truly sorry, then treat me to lunch."

"A-Again?"

"Yes, _again._" She glared. "A lady needs to keep up her strength, am I wrong? So let us embark right now."

Ken merely sighed. His average mission allowance won't be able to cover this weekly expenses if this keeps up. Then again, he never had a huge need for food anyway, and he guessed he did snack some Miso this afternoon with Naruko, so it wasn't that big of a loss he supposed.

"Since you are going to treat me again, I guess I'll do you a favor and make an effort to clarify the misconception of your supposed activities with me."

Ken at least smiled at that before bowing politely. "Ari-gatou, Sakuri."

* * *

"Hey Naori," The girl in question turned to her pink-haired companion, "you okay? You seem distracted."

"Oh, who? Me?" She laughed half-heartedly, earning a sweat drop from her teammate. "Don't be ridiculous, Sakura-chan. Of course not!" She knocked on her head several times. "This here head don't get distracted by nothin'!"

"Sure." Sakura rolled her eyes. "Could you get with the situation at least? Removing the cabbages needs to be a team effort, you know?"

"_Required_, not needed, Sakura-chan." Their third teammate, Runo, mentioned out loud, adjusting his glasses with a finger before he continued to pull out another vegetable from the soil and chuck it in the idly placed ban wagon nearby.

Sakura tried her best to not snarl at her 'smartass' of a teammate. "Regardless, this is a team effort, Naori, so try to help out, okay? You don't want sensei to get upset again, right?"

"H-Hai!" She scampered nervously, pulling out as much as she could.

"Onee-chan!" A voice rung throughout the air, the sleeping farmer even stumbled out of his rocking chair from the out burst.

"Oh brother…" Sakura face palmed.

"Hey, it's Mimi-chan." Naori smiled brightly at the approaching girl, her 'tail' wagging back and forth once she grated the ground with her heels, sending sparks flying in her wake despite having dirt involved.

"What is it now, Mimiru?" The pink haired female furrowed at the annoying presence of her sister.

"I wanna play with you too." Her chirpy voice stated childishly.

"This isn't a game, Mimiru, this is work we're busy with. So why don't you run along and stalk your 'boyfriend'." Sakura said apathetically as she went back to her duty.

"But I lost track of him." She pouted with her lip pressed out.

"Wait a second, little Mimi already has a boyfriend?" Naori raised a brow at her teammate.

"Apparently, yes."

"He _is real_, Onee-chan!" Mimiru waved her arms in protest.

"I didn't say he isn't, though I highly doubt you guys have a relationship to begin with."

"Who is this 'boyfriend' then, Mimi-chan?" Naori looked back at the youngster, who soon had a dreamy expression glued on her once offended face.

"Just the most sweetest guy on the planet. His eyes are so magical."

Sakura basically rolled her eyes at this. "Big words coming from someone like you."

"I'm eight years old, onee-chan." Mimiru crossed her arms with an annoyed expression huffing it's way in the air. "I know what the word 'magical' means."

"Uh huh." Sakura continued her current task, deciding to ignore the little girl's irritating presence.

"So," Naori smiled down at her companion's sister, "don't keep me in suspense, Mimi-chan, what's his name?"

"Tayamaru Kenjo."

"…Did you… did you just say… Kenjo?"

"Yeah. The most coolest man ever." Mimiru exclaimed with radiating hearts popping out of her eyes.

"Good. Now that you guys are done with that," Sakura pointed at the young girl, "_you_ can go back to wherever you came from, and _you_ can resume helping Runo and me out."

"But I want to help too!" Mimiru whined.

"No, you cannot." The pink-haired girl glared back. "Now go home already, Mimiru, otherwise I'll be telling mom how obnoxious you keep on being while we're busy with important missions."

"But–"

"_Now_, Mimiru."

The little girl closed her mouth, her head trailing down to the dirt and becoming silent as a mouse. Slowly, but surely, she left, leaving the three alone with their work. Naori would normally be sympathetic at this point due to Sakura's constant neglection of Mimiru and the downcasted kunoichi in training, but she was too busy contemplating a recent discovery.

Her boyfriend was… Kenjo?

Seriously?

That was a joke, right? It had to be. Mimiru was pulling her leg. Not only were their ages separated by a decently sized margin, but also Ken wouldn't fall for someone like Mimiru, right? It just didn't make any sense at all.

'_Besides,'_ She looked up, the shrinking dot that was the young female disappearing from sight. _'if that were really the case, then I don't think that cute little rascal would be _alive_ right about now.'_ Her sub-conscious fists tightened even more, black blood slowly oozing through the shallow holes of the balled hands. _'Yes. _Definitely_ not.'_

* * *

The door opened, and Ken took a moment to observe the living room, free bento in hand.

There was not a single word to say that represented 'clean' or 'tidy' this quandary. It was a complete mess. A hurricane probably stopped by for a visit. The boy frowned. It wasn't _this_ disorderly when he left for his team's morning meeting. He had a _hunch_ though as to why it appeared this way.

Sighing, he closed the front door and placed his contained food on the counter before looking around. _'Well,'_ he thought, _'at least whoever broke in gave me something to do for the night other than my usual ceiling gazing.'_ He took a step and bent down, hands ready for a nightly chore.

This wasn't the first time something like this happened to his apartment. Since it didn't have a lock for security purposes, Ken's 'home' was practically a sitting duck for burglaries. First time it happened, Ken was saddened with frustration. Now, he was close to apathetic than anything else by the tedious 'workout' whoever gave his apartment.

Honestly, the green preteen always asked himself why in heaven's glory would anyone do such a thing? What could they possibly hope to gain? After years of such a plaguing thought, Ken couldn't even care less. Simplicity's sake: They probably hated him. There was nothing important he left behind when leaving, if he even had such things, so it was never a matter of what was missing, but rather who could be doing this.

But these were not relevant to his current state of mind though. As Ken continued to clean and tidy as much as he possibly could, his point of view was on something that happened this evening.

A pure eyed girl stared at them, or more specifically Sakuri, from a few feet once 'lunchtime' was over for his supposed 'apprentice'.

She was definitely a Hyuga. Her young eyes told him all he needed to know. Two females, same age– give-or-take– eyeing each other with as much heat on each side. What was strange about all of it was Sakuri tensing up in their eye battle. As if a weight he never knew was there had made itself known to the Uchiha once again.

It was obviously awkward, especially for Ken– which was one of the things he disliked the most– so the young Genin made his voice known.

All he received though was a momentary glance from the Hyuga, a flash of an expression that told him she didn't even know he was there to begin with, which soon turned into something much more cynical.

It was like Sakuri and Sasuku had joined forces to create the most hated glare of all kind. It was so sharp that Ken's head would have been chopped off if the emotion was personified. Thankfully, it wasn't.

Sakuri's 'tutor' unsurprisingly asked her about it, in which case she chucked him away as usual. Ken swore he could tell something was wrong with the girl's posture ever since. She couldn't concentrate to keep herself calm, even with his mouth shut. Her breathing was irregular, and her eyebrows kept twitching.

He couldn't help but think it had something to do with the Hyuga though. Ken made a mental note to himself to stop by the Ninja Academy tomorrow and try to figure this out for himself. The Academy obviously had to be the origin point of all of this. He just hoped that Sakuri didn't mind his assertion however, which was almost always the case in the past.

If only she was more open to him. Things might be more easier dealing with Sakuri than before. Maybe he could ask someone's opinion on the matter. It should be a girl though. The relative relay would definitely be there if they were. Now all he needed was a designated person _to_ talk to.

Despite the optimism, Ken couldn't help but sigh.

This could probably end up being something more than Ken could chew on. But he was doing this for Sakuri, and that was all he needed to keep going. After all, regardless of their professional and weak bond they had for each other, Ken considered Sakuri as somewhat of a friend.

An introverted, and also maybe negative friend, but a friend nonetheless.

He smiled, and proceeded to finish what his hands once started.

* * *

"_H-Hey, Naru-chan!"_

"_Ken," She looked up, a troubled expression in plain sight, "there is something we need to talk about."_

_Ken's smile faltered. "A-About what?"_

_She looked to the side. "I don't think this is going to work."_

"_What w-w-won't work?"_

"_This 'friendship' of ours."_

_Ken's eyes widened. "W-W-W-W-Wha?"_

"_I'm sorry," She turned her back to him, "but I don't think you're good for me."_

"_I-I-I–"_

"_I only became friends with you because you seemed more down in the dumps than I was during that day."_

_Ken's eyes started to emit saltiness. "N-No, that c-c-can't be i-i-it."_

"_It's called sympathy, Ken. You were always holding me back. Every single day. I may not had friends when we met, but I sure as hell would've been better off without than to be by your side."_

"_B-B-B-But–"_

"_You never showed any progress or potential. You were always a crybaby, always looking for a shoulder to cry on. Never cared about the damp spot you kept leaving behind. The sad excuse of footprints you kept leaving behind. You left all of them for me to clean up. Like I was your constant maid or something." She shook her head, vision aiming for the pitch blackness they 'stood' on. "But not anymore. I had enough. It is time we go our separate ways."_

"_N-No!" He choked, trying to reach out with a hand but realizing he couldn't move. "I-I-I'm sorry, okay!? I-I-I-I didn't m-m-mean t-to be a-a-a b-burden, N-Naru-chan!"_

"_That's Naruko to you. I'm not your 'chan' anymore."_

"_P-P-Please," His feet felt wobbly, as if they would give in any second now. "I-I'll change, o-okay? I'll s-s-stop crying, I'll s-s-show po-t-t-tential, I'll do b-better, I-I-I'll d-d-do a-any-t-t-t-thing. J-Just please, d-d-don't l-leave me." He clutched his burning eyes, and swallowed hard. But Naruko kept taking constant steps away. Further and further into the depths of nothingness. "P-P-Please, d-don't do t-t-this to me. I… I-I need y-you, N-Naru-c-cha– N-Naru-k-ko. I-I beg of y-you."_

_Finally, he fell to his knees, the blonde nowhere to be found. Only thing that stayed by his side was pure, empty darkness. That, and the constant laughter echoing around him in mock amusement._

_Told you. It was only a matter of time for her to permanently leave you in the dust._

_He sobbed._

_Should've listened and killed yourself when you had the chance._

_And sobbed._

_Fucking idiot._

_And sobbed._

_Ha. Ha. Hah!_

…_But nobody heard._

_And nobody _would.

Then… the ceiling was in front of him. His eyes… were as wide as saucers, not blinking one bit.

The sound of birds chirping freely outside faintly made it's way to his ears. But he kept staring like a zombie. Like the ceiling was too good to look away from. He remembered now. Ken finally finished the living room with his bare hands and bloody sweat, and took a moment to relax his muscles on the couch. His mind however, worked a thousand times per second, the previous scenario had been formed, and now reality finally kicked in, but it didn't welcome him alone.

The sheer piercing day-'nightmare' left a scarring fearfulness across his heart, and for some reason he couldn't move.

The mark was always there, but now it was more apparent.

He just kept staring.

And staring.

And staring.

_And staring…_

* * *

"Ohayō, Ken."

Ken's head turned to the side.

Naruko's smile waved at him, but soon hid behind a frown.

"Hey, you okay?"

He blinked, then flashed a small, forced smile. "Y-Yeah…"

Naruko opened her mouth and spoke, but all he heard was a voice echoing in response.

_She _will_ leave you, so kill yourself already!_

"Ken?"

He blinked once more. Naruko's face was inches away from his own. "Y-Yeah…?"

Her frown deepened. "Look, if there's something on your mind, I'm all ears, 'ttebayo."

_Die. DIE. DIE!_

"I-I…" He trailed and cleared his throat. "T-There's nothing wrong, I-I swear, N-Naruko. So d-don't worry, okay?"

Her eyes widened a bit, but she kept observing him. Ken stared back, but all he could see was her back.

"_I think it's time we go our separate ways, Ken."_

"Okay then." She gave him space, but returned to her bright smile. "Let's do our best today, 'ttebayo!"

He smiled. Her back shrinking and shrinking until it was gone from sight. "Y-Y-Yeah, let's."

* * *

"Hey, dead last."

Ken looked up from his position. "H-Hey, Sasuku."

"My mom would like to meet you."

Ken nodded, but soon the message became less fuzzy than his thoughts. "E-E-Excuse m-me?"

Sasuku grunted. "My mom would want to meet you. Did you get it this time, or am I suppose to repeat myself again?"

She stared at his silent form, his presence crouched down and was probably deep in thought than observing her sparring session with Naruko.

He slowly nodded before she could break their eyes' obstinate connection. "Good." She turned to leave him behind, but stopped to say something. "…And sorry for what I did to you yesterday. I shouldn't have taken the information at face value." She turned her head to glance over her shoulder. Ken looked at her with surprised eyes. "I appreciate you training my sister. It's not your responsibility to, but I'm thankful nonetheless."

Then she left, and Ken stared in bewilderment. The corner of his lips however, soon tilted up with warmth.

"Ken-kun."

Looking to his right, the sight of Kakashi-sensei and an Anbu came into view. His sensei's company sending a feeling of skepticism down his gut. "Y-Yeah?"

"The Hokage would like to see you for a brief moment."

* * *

A knock was heard.

"You may enter." The familiar voice encountered Ken's ears through the door, and as he opened it, the familiar man stood with his back welcoming the boy to the supreme room.

The green preteen bowed before the esteemed leader. "Y-You wanted t-t-to see me, H-Hokage-sama?"

"Indeed." The old timer turned and smiled, gesturing to the seat nearest to the child. "Have a seat, Ken-kun."

"H-H-Hai!" He swiftly took the offer and settled himself down awkwardly.

"How have you been, my boy?"

"F-Fine, Hokage-s-sama." He continued to look down timidly.

"That's good. And your team? Are you getting along with them?"

"H-Hai." He replied hastily, trying his best to appease the man's curiosity.

"Good, good." Then silence emerged, only to be broken as quickly as it came. "Well, I wouldn't want to take any more of your time, Ken-kun, so I'll get right to the topic at hand." He paused to receive a simple nod from the Genin. "I was informed that there was an unfortunate disruption from your apartment the other day."

"H-Huh?" Ken couldn't help but show his informal confusion.

"Yesterday," Hiruzen continued, "I received complaints from numerous civilians, all near your apartment, saying that your room has been full of noise the entire day."

"B-But I wasn't a-at home un-t-til the e-evening." It was probably the time of the burglary. That hypothesis was the only thing that made sense.

"Be as it may, the protests still stands. I only decided to throw a blind eye yesterday since you were probably tired of whatever happened. But I cannot keep myself in the dark forever. So for now, I'll let you off with a simple warning."

"B-B-But I didn't d-d-d-d-d–" He bit his lip. Not again!

"I'm sorry, Ken-kun. It may or may not be you, but I need to point a finger for the time being until word comes around of the real culprit, otherwise I'm just as well ignoring the rules if I don't."

Ken looked down and bit his lip for an entirely different reason this time.

"You're allowed to leave, Ken-kun."

He stood up, and slowly but surely left the room. Sarutobi sighed. Honestly, he could've done a better job if he had more time, but patience was not a virtue right then. He only hoped that Ken didn't take it too seriously though.

Unbeknownst to him, Ken did, or to be more specific, his respect for the Hokage had.

* * *

"Well, s-see ya."

"Eh?" Naruko turned to the leaving preteen. "You leaving already?"

"Y-Yeah. Why d-do you ask?" Ken looked over his shoulder, the blonde frowning in place. The team had dispersed from their daily duty as usual. Ken and Naruko were the only ones who were left together, and from this point onwards, they normally made their way to Ichiraku's for their usual snack as the duo they were. But before Naruko could open her mouth, Ken had given his farewell sentence, and now they stood a few feet away, both perplexed by the other's reaction.

This never happened before. Ken never left her hanging like this, especially right before they even got to properly be alone. And this morning. He called her Naruko. Naruko! Not Naru-chan like he always did, but Naruko. What was up with that? There had to be something bothering him for Ken to act so out of character like this. And by how distant he seemed to be than usual, it had to be something big.

But he said that it was nothing and that she shouldn't worry about it. But how could she if her BFF was acting this way? How could she even fathom the possibility of ignoring such an issue without prying for the truth? If in another reality where somehow for some indescribable reason she actually _do_ ignore it, then she couldn't call herself a friend. She couldn't be his BFF. She couldn't be anything but a typical person on the street hatefully glaring at him.

She couldn't call herself Naruko Uzumaki.

That was not what Naruko Uzumaki stood for. That was not what Ken's friend stood for! The thought of allowing this distance to remain or evolve scared her to no end. She had to do something about it. Anything kami damn it! And yet, the more she kept staring at his awaiting red orbs, the more Naruko felt herself staying silent about the whole ordeal.

Somehow, that specific reality became this one. And it ate her alive.

"N-Nothing." She looked down momentarily, feeling a piece of what made up her structure falling apart. _'He probably want to be left alone. I shouldn't pry on something that I have no business with. But what if all he needs is someone to talk to? It's not like he has many people that will lend a helpful ear, unfortunately, so why shouldn't I be? But what if he starts hating me because of it? What if he stops being my friend? What if that was the actual reason I never had one before I met him? I can't afford to lose him too. Not Ken. Not Ken damn it! I just… I just CAN'T!'_

Naruko barely saw the simple nod he gave her due to her introverted self, and suddenly called out to him before he could leave her presence. Ken looked back once more, and the blonde became silent once more as well, before uttering, "S-See ya, 'ttebayo!" She flashed him her signature smile, just to receive a smile in return.

Ken had a feeling what her hesitation was about, so he decided to speak from his thoughts. "H-Hey, next t-t-time, ramen's o-on me, okay?"

As expected, she beamed widely at this. "Hai!"

* * *

Ken felt regret boiling in his stomach. He had to sacrifice his daily ramen-time with Naruko to spare time in heading over to the Ninja Academy. That only should be enough regret to last him a full meal, if he actually needed one that is, but now he also regretted coming to the same building that cherished some of the painful memories of his past.

The same building he was now inside of.

Coincidentally, Ken found out Sakuri's teacher was Iruka-sensei; the same teacher he had. At least he wouldn't be needing to make conversation with a stranger's face. That being said, Iruka-sensei wasn't exactly someone he had a close relationship with either. They didn't really have a decent student-teacher relationship at all.

It wasn't as if they hated each other, though Ken could only assume why Iruka-sensei stomached his presence each passing moment was because of professional reasons, and probably because he was friends with Naruko, who had a special bond with the man. Ken could even go as far as to say they might be lost father-and-daughter, though that prospect held more fantasia than veracity.

The man wasn't bad in Ken's eyes, though he wasn't good to him either. You could say Iruka-sensei was just your normal everyday teacher, seeming indifferent to the spite the rest of the village held for him, which was more than he received from the Academy's teacher committee, which he was grateful for in the end.

Knocking before opening the door with a bit of hesitation, Ken saw across the room that said man stacking some sheets of paper with finality. The Academy was out after all, which meant the classrooms were no longer needed in general.

"T-Tayamaru?" Iruka was surprised. He wondered what the boy was doing back here at the Academy.

"K-Konnichiwa, Iruka-s-sensei." Ken bowed in respect before making his way to the man.

"What are you doing back at the Academy, Tayamaru?"

"W-Well, I was h-hoping you c-could tell me a-a bit about S-S-Sakuri."

"Sakuri?" Iruka's eyes widened with wonder. What does someone like Kenjo want with an Uchiha, or anyone of his students for that matter? He knew the boy was always the silent type during class just as Hinata was. Despite how his personality seemed to be for the past years, Kenjo's past had always been behind his back. Always smiling maliciously at the people who knew about what undergone back then. This was enough for Iruka Umino to be cautious about everything that involved the kid. So hearing that Sakuri had perked his interest for some reason, gave Iruka a very wary chill down his protective spine.

After all, there was no telling what Kenjo might do if their guard was down.

"Y-Yeah," Ken saw the uncertainty in the man's eyes, the same uncertainty Iruka-sensei held each time he made contact with it, "Recently, I-I've found o-out that she h-has trouble with s-some of the k-kids i-in her class."

Iruka's eyebrow raised at this. "So you've heard?"

"He-Heard what?" Ken gave him his own raised eyebrow.

The man sighed. He couldn't believe he was having this conversation with Tayamaru of all people. The expected person he had in mind was Mikoto Uchiha, or at the very least Sasuku. Why was he so intrigued by someone he shouldn't be in the beginning? It made no sense for Kenjo to just waltz in here and start mentioning Sakuri of all people. Did the two have a connection somehow? Was that even possible? A young esteemed Uchiha and… _him_? The person who everyone dejected and wished was never born? This can't be right. This was _not_ happening. And yet, here he was, being confronted by his former student who he never took the time to get to know.

But let it not be said that he was a jerk to a child, no matter how ill-defined the boy truly was. Ken being here was better than nobody, he supposed.

"Sakuri… has been bullied for a while now."

Ken's eyes widened in shock. "N-N-Nani?"

"She hasn't been treated very kindly by other Academy children; she was always the odd one out. It's a strange thing to do to someone who doesn't deserve that kind of treatment, but that thought never made it go away. She is actually a lot like you in your early years in the Academy, before becoming friends with Naruko of course. But nobody was there for her– never _is_– and that was something she didn't need from the Academy, especially what happened to her clan."

"Her c-clan…" The Genin looked down in thought, knowing what Iruka-sensei meant by that. It was said that Sasuku's older sister, Uchiha Itachi, had slaughtered almost her entire clan to extinction, only stopping after eliminating her father, Uchiha Fugaku, before finally fleeing from Konohagakure. Now all that was left was Sasuku, Sakuri, and their mother, Mikoto. It was a real tragic incident, a dark, burning scar across the village that nearly through it in a pit of riot. The Uchiha clan had ran the police force after all, and with the chief's death, the village was almost in shambles, if it weren't for the Hokage that is.

But he digressed. "By the looks of how depressed she was before even getting settled in the Academy, home wasn't the best place to be for her back then. Probably still isn't. Which is maybe why her mother is too busy keeping the family from falling apart than to have time for Sakuri's problem back here."

"B-B-But I still d-don't get w-why they would b-bully her. She's not a-a bad p-person, I-I-Iruka-sensei."

"I know." He sighed. "If I really were to guess though, then it could be something to do with Sasuku."

"S-Sasuku-chan?"

"Yeah. I mean, I wouldn't want to point any fingers or anything, but what I've gathered from the verbal abuse was that due to Sasuku's undermining of their older siblings, they decided to take their frustrations out on Sakuri."

Ken didn't even know where to start with that. Taking their frustrations out on someone else? What kind of nonsense was he hearing? That was such a poor excuse to bully someone. What does Sakuri have to do with any of that baloney? Sure, he admit seeing Sasuku's disrespectful nature toward her fellow classmates. Calling them weaklings and him 'dead last'. Telling them that they knew nothing of her pain and anger, and that they should all 'screw off'.

He assumed the only reason she decided to boggle all of that dismay up for her teammates and sensei was that she knew how teamwork was a necessity to any group. She couldn't cut ties with them, since there wouldn't be any point in accumulation then, and that it was just simply mandatory. But before then she was a lone wolf, always looking out for herself, just like the beginning of their time as a team, just like how he was before meeting Naruko.

But even still, does that give them a right to get upset? No! Not even the fatalities had the right, so why would small snot nose kids who couldn't be even a little considerate for others? Damn it! Just the thought of Sakuri being victimized like that made his blood boil with fury. It wasn't right! It wasn't right, kami damn it!

He should be the only one that had to go through such trouble. Not Naruko. Not Sasuku. And especially not Sakuri!

"And w-what about the H-Hyuga?" He asked, eyes shadowed with emotion.

"Hmm? Hyuga? You mean Hanabi?"

"I s-saw them s-s-staring a-at each other a-as if they we-were going t-to strangle e-each other without warn-ing."

"Well," He trailed off, looking through the window with thought. Was this why Kenjo decided to talk about Sakuri? It made sense if it was, but that was only if he had a connection with her, which he still found very peculiar if that were true. "I can't really tell much about their relationship, but what I do know is that Hanabi hangs out with the children that picks on Sakuri. Strange, because whenever I see them start abusing her, Hanabi is never involved, only looking from the sidelines."

When Ken didn't reply, Iruka made to glance back at him, only to see his leaving form. Before Iruka knew it, he was thanked for his time and was left behind in the empty classroom once again.

'_I hope you don't do anything stupid, Tayamaru.' _He glared at the door, before going back to the awaiting sheets of paper.

* * *

"Have you heard?" Sakuri sat down, legs crossed as she began to resume her meditation.

"H-Heard what?" Ken sat down as well right in front of the girl, who closed her eyes with collectiveness.

"About my mother. I thought my sister told you about it earlier today."

"S-She did."

"Then you should also know that my mother would like to meet with you for a feast this coming Thursday, since it's a public holiday during that time."

"Sure…" He looked to his side, "…Is t-there any p-particular reason I a-am called by h-her?"

"Beats me." She shrugged. "All I know is once I explained our situation to Sasuku, my mother wasted no time planning a meeting with you. Apparently my sister and I are expected to be there as well. Such a troublesome woman she is."

"Y-You shouldn't speak a-a-about your mother t-that way."

Sakuri's eyes opened slowly to a glare. "I would prefer you keep your opinions away from our family affairs. What? Your parents not enough for you?"

Ken's head tilted downward. A silence crept into place, so Sakuri took that as an opportunity to gain actual progress.

"C-Could you care t-to explain your r-r-relationship with Hana-chan?"

Her eyes opened once more. "Hana-chan? Are you referring to that pig of a traitor?"

"P-Pig? You m-mean Hanabi?"

"Of course I mean her." She furrowed. "And no, if you value your arm, then I suggest you not speak of her around me ever again. Got it, kid?"

"W-Why did you call h-her a traitor? What d-did she do?"

"What did I _just_ tell you?"

"W-Was it because H-Hana-chan started d-disliking you?"

"Stop vocalizing her name! And what's with the honorific?! Either you are my noble instructor, or you are the traitor's goon!"

"W-Was it b-because Hana-c-chan stopped b-being your friend?"

Sakuri flinched at the prospect, gaining a surprised look from Ken. Did he just struck a nerve with that guess?

"I'm warning you–"

"I-Is it because s-she ditched y-you for t-those bullies?"

"–if you do not shut up right now–" She stood up, tightening her fists in anger.

"Answer m-me, Saku-chan."

"The hell I will! And what have I told you about addressing me like that?!"

"P-Please, Saku-chan." He stood up, his eyes kept staring at her.

"Do that one more time–" Then, she was held in a swift embrace, his arms holding her close to his chest. Her eyes widened, but then pushed him away harshly.

"W-What do you think you're doing, hentai!?"

"P-Please," He glared a bit, "don't b-boggle all of your p-problems to yourself. S-Share it, Saku-chan."

"Why should I? And quit calling me that!"

"Because i-it will help you r-relieve the w-weight."

"Oh yeah? What then? Will it make the problem all better? Will it make it all go away? If you truly believe it will, then you are more of a bigger doofus than I previously took you for."

"…No, it w-won't."

"What is the point then? Give me one good reason why I should share my pain with a doofus like you?"

"B-Because…" He looked down, the grass flowing with the gentle breeze. It was funny, he remembered the moment he decided to kill himself. The grass had waved back at him, just like right now. And now, he was reminding himself of the hurtful past he held within his frozen heart. "…because I k-know how it feels."

Sakuri's eyes studied the Genin with more interest than before, that sentence catching her off guard.

"I-I know how it f-feels to be a-alone. To be p-picked on. To be t-t-the o-odd one out."

_You are worthless. Worthless! WORTHLESS!_

"I-It's unfair, I k-know it is." He stared back up, her face in complete shock and disbelief. "But y-you shouldn't boggle i-it all up, Saku-chan. It's not h-healthy, e-especially for a talent-ed y-young lady such a-as yourself."

He took a step forward.

"So please, l-let me b-bare the p-pain for you instead s-so you don't h-h-have to."

What was he doing? Did he even know what he was saying to her? How psychologically meaningful this was to her? This wasn't a game, damn it! He had no right to defile her psyche like this! No RIGHT! Sakuri wanted so desperately to close her ears, to block the words that she pleaded to hear from her endangered clan, the words that her mom and sister never gave her before, but her body was frozen in place, unable to make a single movement until only later, when he was inches away from reaching out to her for what seemed to be another attempt to embrace her small, fragile form. She slowly shook her head in denial.

"No…"

He reached out.

"No, no, NO!" She swung, and Ken fell to his knees.

She stared at his shaking presence, his hand holding onto his stomach for dear life.

Then, with a hesitant, but swift escape, she was gone.

Leaving Ken behind in pain. Alone.

…_Again_…

* * *

Today was really a hassle. It felt like Ken had been prying through a lot in a single day. Not only had their D-Rank missions kept coming, but also the intimidating moment with Hokage-sama, and the unfortunate mishap with Saku-chan. Not to mention the scarring fear with Naru-chan as well, which his mentality was still processing in hopes of not going insane from the constant voices in his head that seemed to be getting louder and more effective than ever.

Though, in hindsight, he probably shouldn't have pissed Sakuri off with his 'chan' language. His stomach already regretted it the moment her fist rudely greeted it. Honestly, to him, it was a harmless devotion to show the strength in their friendship, but he guessed she made it clear the first time however that it wasn't something she seemed amused by the slightest.

Still, Ken wasn't finished with Sakuri, not by a long shot. He had a feeling she wouldn't be coming for her Wednesday lesson, but at least he could try to get through to her the following day during the Uchiha feast. It still puzzled him though, the reason for his invitation. Was Ms. Uchiha upset with him? The way Sasuku and Sakuri mentioned the invite didn't make it sound malevolent, but still, it would make sense if it ended up as some sort of 'torture chamber' for his 'crimes' he had committed.

The most hated boy in all of Konohagakure, alone with the woman's young daughter, educating her without prime authentication. Yep, that is definitely a good reason to behead him, apparently. But the last thing Ken wanted to do was to leave them hanging, especially not the Uchiha of all clans. That was just a death wish, and yet, it was almost certain his will would be written if he actually went. So, just as previous cases had been, Ken was road kill either way, end of story.

All he could do was face the music head on and pray for the best. Oh, and take care of the shattered glass in his room.

'_Guess I forgot to take care of it yesterday when I was feeding the living room some soap. Ironic though, since I don't even have any.'_

The green Genin was glad he was the only one who could hear his thoughts on the pitiful facts of his hygienic nature. It's a wonder how Naruko and the others could muster his stench in the first place. Though, it was vague he supposed, since it wasn't as if he didn't take care of himself, but it was still there nonetheless. Not that anyone was around to eavesdrop on his voice, but sometimes it was safe to just lie low internally, as Ken had put it. You may never know when an Anbu could catch inconvenient dirt on you. That was a redundancy. As if anyone was nearby to pick it up though.

Crouching down, Ken handpicked each glass one by one in a plastic bag. Despite having neither a broom or a mop, the preteen still found a way to clean up after himself. It's very expedient how far you could go with just your hands and a minimum amount of water.

But then, as he eyed some glass from behind, Ken's eyes slowly bulged at the distorted, yet ostensible detail they saw. He looked up to what was left of the board of mirror adjacent to himself. Ken stood up and turned around, head sideways in desperation.

'_Wait, what the? What is that…?'_

He continued to eye his back in the glass, a hand nervously running over it in search of clarification. This couldn't be. How was this even here? Has it always been there? This didn't make any sense!

The black markings on his back…

Why was there a _seal_ on his back!?

* * *

**End of Chapter**

**Phew. This might not seem long but it took a lot of guts to write, at least for me. It probably would've been earlier done, if it weren't for my weekend time with my cousin (Curse you, Lord of Impromptu!). But at least it's out I guess.**

**Sorry if it might be dissatisfying, but that should be understanding coming from a story of a kid with no ability to mold his chakra, so, whatchya gonna do?**

**Shout out to anyone and everyone who reviewed since chapter three, you guys are the BEST! And yes, I read every single one of them (Why wouldn't i?)**

**Anyway, good day to you, reader, see ya in the next chapter!**

**-Narurific-**


	5. Past Intense

**Chapter 05**

**Past Intense**

* * *

_Oof!_

_His butt kissed the floor. His head clogged up at the female in front of him. She was also on the ground, steadily gaining her senses on what just happened._

_He gulped. This wasn't good. He bumped into a fellow Academy student. This wasn't good at all. This never happened before. How could it happen now? Will they lock him up? Will they hang him to dry like unwanted, wet clothes? This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all!_

_He had to compensate his vulgar mistake. He didn't want to die now! He couldn't! He wanted to, yes, but never again! He couldn't afford to!_

_He wanted to impress his friend. He _needed_ to. He needed to be a ninja for his friend, gosh darn it!_

_He had to do something about this problem. Standing up with vigor, he made to reach for the girl, but halted when his ears picked up a loud inter_

_mission._

"_Hey, get away from her!"_

_Two girls appeared by the fallen's side, glaring straight through him as if they were expecting their gaze would kill him eventually._

"_Yeah, stay away from Hinata-san, you loser! If you don't, we'll do more than just tell on your bullying!"_

"_Now scram, you hear?!"_

_He stared with liquid in the corner of his eyes, and soon, he did what he was told._

_He ran down the hall, alone._

_The moment he decided to hang himself overlapped his current situation in a flash._

_When he was running for his life._

_When he was going to run away from his life._

_And now he was running away from fear for his life._

_But instead of going down right to the end of the suicide road, he was going to apologies. He was going to change that girl's decision on him. All of them. Before it was too late._

_Naru-chan was counting on him to stay alive._

_He needed to stay alive!_

_He needed to apologies._

_Ken needed to._

_Ken just needed to!_

* * *

'_C'mon!' _Ken exclaimed internally, scavenging through page after page like an animal. _'It's got to be here, right?! RIGHT?!'_

Nobody answered him, and yet, regardless of whether someone did, Ken's hopes were depleting with each page flipped.

Flip, flip, flip.

'_There's got to be one somewhere!'_

Flip, flip, flip, flip, flip, flip.

'_C'MON!'_

Flip, flip, flip, flip, flip, flip…

He had reached the end, and now the lurking reality behind him had finally caught up to his denial. Ken slouched down on the ground, and looked up at the ceiling. His whole world, if it was not already, had just been turned upside down through the depths of one of his destroyed items he found. Now, by laying the mirror to rest, he found another item.

The item imprinted on his skin.

How did he not see that before? Was it a recent seal? Was it always there, but only now decided to end the game of 'peek-a-boo'? He didn't know, and that knowing made his frustration accelerate even further. It also left an indescribable taste of apprehension on his tongue that was beyond any flavor the emotional fruit gave him before. He met trepidation already, many a time to top it off, but this was really an intense discovery. It felt as if he opened a door that shouldn't have been touched. Something that kept his mind racing a million miles per second, and the preteen was unable to pull breaks on the thing.

If he wasn't full of an odd sense of insomnia before, then this finding would have done the trick. Ken didn't really know what to say anymore. Just a moment ago he thought today was already a wobbly castle of cards that threatened to fall apart any second, then came the 'ace'– the seal– and the walls just started crumbling.

Why was there a flippin' seal on his spine? What was it restricting in the first place? Who placed it there?

He was starting to form a migraine from something that was seen just eleven minutes and twenty-six seconds ago! Ken couldn't even hear his degrading thoughts anymore. They were below inconsiderate, and now they were below his headache of a seal.

His 'Ninja One-oh-One' book was benefit-less, and now he didn't know what to do as a follow up. Maybe another decisive book was in order? Would someone have knowledge of this kind of seal? Of course they would, but the real question was: should he ask?

Noone cared enough of his well being except for his team, not even the Hokage seemed too interested in his opinions anymore either. So was he expected to tell Team Seven then? Would they know? Maybe Kakashi-sensei? He was a Jounin after all. But would it benefit him if word got out that he had a seal?

They might not even want anything to do with this ominous thing being carried on his back. It's presence was already making himself scared shitless. After all, this might be keeping them safe. Pfft! What a stupid thought! Or maybe it wasn't? Ken didn't know. He didn't know anything anymore. This whole situation had destroyed what he thought was true and what wasn't, since these markings could mean anything!

For all he knew, it could be confining his ability to properly think. Be the cause of his amnesia-like voices. Be the cause of his inability to mold chakra.

…

Wait…

…Wait a second…

Ken's eyes bulged like it wanted to escape from their prison. He slowly turned to his back, or as much as he could turn to it.

The revelation just blew his migraine out of the water, taking it's rightful place behind his internal helm.

Ken could have sworn the seal was smiling deviously back.

And just like that, before it could recover from the previous flip, his whole world was turned upside down, once again.

* * *

Naruko frowned. Things didn't seem at their brightest right now. Things didn't seem bright at all. This morning her friend was deep in his mind as usual. Maybe even deeper though. His forced smile when they greeted each other didn't help either. Her interpretation of him for isolation seemed bleak as well. He wasn't more of the typical Ken right now, not how she expected him to be since yesterday, no, it felt as if Ken was less of himself even more so. Her friend didn't even put enough effort to voice his agreement or declination. A nod or shake was all she seemed to get out of him at the moment. More silent. More troubled. More depressed.

More of what Ken told her he was before he met her.

Was she not enough anymore? Was Naruko becoming more of an excuse than satisfying for him? Had she done something wrong to upset him? Was it that time during their C-Rank mission, or when they continued to ignore working with him during Kakashi-sensei's training a few days ago? Both maybe? Argh! Too many possibilities! It's giving her a headache. If only she knew what was wrong with him. Ken kept denying his problem, and she kept believing him.

Why shouldn't she? He was her best friend! He was always there to speak to her, play with her, help her train, lift her spirits when it was down. He was always there! And now it felt like he was somewhere else. Somewhere she couldn't reach, and was desperately calling out to him.

Ken wasn't turning his back away from her though, and that was even more troubling than knowing he's not with her. He didn't want to turn around, or she wasn't loud enough. She wanted to know which one of them was the odd one out! She _needed_ to know, damn it!

Her eyes drifted sub-consciously toward the boy in the woods. She could see glimpses of his being practicing it's taijutsu. One of the things he was able to do. Was it because of his inabilities? Had reality caught up with his mind again? Man, this was really troublesome! The thought of her Ken not being himself had left Naruko on the losing end of her latest sparring session with Sasuku-teme.

Screw that. She couldn't give two shits of who won, not when her BFF was out of arm's reach. She could go up to him right now. Talk to him. Break through the wall he had constructed between them. Anything! And yet, she couldn't build up the courage to confront his lonesome exterior.

'_Maybe he just needs more time. Yeah, maybe that's it. But… what if it isn't? What if he needs me by his side more than ever? But if I do, and if it's the complete opposite, he might get angry at me. I can't risk it. I can't be a busy-body right now. Not when he really doesn't need me looking over his shoulder. I can't. But I can't just do nothing! I want to help him. Argh! C'mon already! Make up your mind, baka! Approach or stay away. Choose, damn it!'_

"Everything okay?" Kakashi looked down at the jumpy Uzumaki, her realization steadily kicking in.

"Oh, it's just you, Kakashi-sensei." She sighed.

"You seem troubled, Naruko-chan. Is something wrong?"

She looked him in the eye, before averting to her side. "No, everything's fine."

…

"…Does it have something to do with Ken-kun?"

"Eh?" She looked at him in surprise, "How did you…?"

"I noticed you were lacking in intent during your sparring session with Sasuku-chan, and were staring at Ken-kun." He looked at the boy from afar, along with Naruko. "And, well, I've also noticed strange changes in his demeanor as well. He doesn't seem very cheerful as usual, always frowning in thought."

"He thinks a lot," She continued to observe, her expression downcasted, "but not this much. It's like he's not even sure of anything anymore." Her hand sub-consciously placed itself against her chest. "It's… scary…"

Kakashi gave her his attention for a moment. The girl was seriously troubled as well, and it was all over Ken-kun's troubled behavior. It troubled him to know that, and as their sensei, he should mend the broken of his team. But it wasn't as if he hadn't tried before. He could keep prying, but if Naruko-chan wasn't even sure herself, then it might be better if he waited alongside her before doing anything reckless.

The copy ninja sighed. It was as if they were his little helpless kids that were looking for comfort.

Naruko blinked out of her trance when she felt a hand resting on her blonde hair.

"Don't fret too much, okay? He might just need to deal with this problem of his personally. We would just be getting in his way."

She kept staring at the man, uncertainty still clearly written across her face.

Maybe Kakashi-sensei was right, and maybe she was earning unnecessary wrinkles at such a young age, but still, her gut couldn't digest the fact that she was just standing there, doing nothing, and watching her childhood friend struggle with whatever demons that hung constantly from his shoulders.

Her worrying was obviously unbeknownst to Ken however, as he struck the tree with a foot, then his bruised fist. It wasn't as if he was taking his anger out on the organism, although, that might be less true with all of the frustration he had put in each attack. No. He was merely in his own world.

Again.

It had always been like this. His interior home, despite how unhealthily straining it was, was the place he always seemed comfortable in. Homicidal thoughts aside, Ken always could count on his mind to drift him off to a neutral village. A village outside of the boundaries of Konohagakure. Outside of his own restrictions.

Outside of reality.

Though it was equally, if not even more stressful than supportive, it was definitely more than what his 'actual home' offered him. The trauma he went through each and every day in his mind could not compare to the inexplicable confines of the living, or at least his 'home'.

Home…

This place really did have a deeper elucidation of the phrase 'There's no Place like Home'.

There's no place like home indeed.

* * *

_He sat down on a bench._

_A soaked, wooden bench._

_The rain kept pouring._

_He kept staring down._

_He failed to be a prominent member at the Orphanage._

_He failed to properly live by himself._

_He failed to get away from the raw, uncouth abusiveness from others._

_He failed to hang himself._

_He failed to hold his breath._

_He failed to _kill himself.

_And now, he was at the park, the one place that should be a joyful area for children to freely express themselves._

_He failed to find the joy._

_He failed to do anything._

_He failed at everything._

He was himself a failure.

_Sob._

_At least he succeeded in feeling sorry for himself._

_That's a plus, he guessed._

_Sob. Sob._

_Hmm?_

_He was crying, obviously– excuse me, imperceptible from all the raindrops running down his wet, cold face, but he wasn't projecting sounds though. That wasn't him._

_Sob. Sob. Sob._

_He looked up, and saw something that would change his life._

Forever_._

* * *

"S-See ya, Naru-ko."

"E-Eh?" She looked back at Ken, he looked back as well. They departed from their team, and now he was leaving, _again_!? "But…" She turned to face him, her hands behind her back. Her gaze couldn't even meet his own, and she felt timid to even speak up. Why was this happening?

It was almost as if she was scared of him. Scared of her _own friend_. That couldn't be right though. It didn't make any sense if that were true. Maybe she was going through puberty? She didn't know. Maybe if she asked, it might sound like Naruko was persistent. Like she was prying. Something she was trying to avoid from the very beginning with his change in attitude.

"B-But what…?"

Gosh, why was Ken making this difficult for her? He knew what day it was, and yet, he was playing dumbfounded. "You said that we were going to eat ramen today." She glanced up at him, her head still tilted downward, patiently awaiting for a reply from her BFF.

Ken seemed perplexed by what she said though. "I-I didn't s-say that, N-Naruko."

"But you promised that our next meal would be on you."

"Y-Your point?" He chuckled awkwardly. "I will p-pay our n-n-next meal, but today I-I kinda h-have a lot on m-my m-mind."

"Oh…" Her feet fidgeted in place, "…do you want to talk about it?"

"Nah, i-it's nothing important."

She bit her lower lip. He said it wasn't important, and yet, he's been acting strange for the past few days. Why wouldn't he just tell her? Why was it so problematic for him to do it? What was stopping him? Was she not his friend? Did he not view her as someone he could always talk to anymore? Was she not enough? Was _she _the one who changed for him to alternate his perspective on her? What was it?

What was the problem, for kami's sake?!

She saw him leaving, and made to call out. "T-Tomorrow then?"

"T-Tomorrow what?"

She looked to the side. "Will we eat together tomorrow?"

He opened his mouth, but then closed it once more. Tomorrow was Thursday, and he was expected to meet up with Ms. Uchiha and the rest of her family. "S-Sorry, I'll be b-busy tomorrow a-as well."

Naruko didn't know how this feeling of dismay could feel any stronger. It felt as if her soul was ripped out of her body and shoved back after being dismantled into negative pieces. Ken didn't hang out with her yesterday, would not hang out today, and the following day as well? She couldn't remember feeling so miserable before in a long time, and by the only person she counted on to keep her sane for years.

"Maybe F-Friday, okay?" He flashed a reassuring smile, receiving one himself. Though behind hers was the sadness that she held back for this situation.

Ken turned to leave, and Naruko just stood there. In the middle of Konoha. Alone.

Again.

* * *

_Because I k-know how it feels._

…_To be a-alone._

…_To be p-picked on._

…_To be t-t-the o-odd one out._

"_Baka."_ Sakuri murmured, staring out the window of her room. She was alone in the home, well, aside from the hidden Anbu though. She was kept under surveillance, because she was _'too young'_.

'_Too fragile'_.

'_Too weak'._

Unable to take care of herself. What was she doing then? What _has_ she been doing for the past few years all alone? That's right. Taking care of herself. She wasn't a little kid anymore. She wasn't. Sakuri had showered anyone who still thought of her as one with disrespect and predator intents. Yet, as soon as 'he' approached her, Sakuri found herself tongue-tied to do anything but comply.

'He' who scared her.

'He' who looked down upon her.

Upon an Uchiha.

As if she were an ant.

As if she were nothing compare to him.

Sakuri balled her hands. _'Damn it! How am I going to become stronger if that doofus keeps on prying on things that doesn't involve him?!'_

_I-It's unfair…_

_But y-you shouldn't boggle i-it all up, Saku-chan. It's not h-healthy._

The hell she should! Who was _he_ to tell her what she could or couldn't do? He didn't know her. None of them knew her. How much pain she was going through. His words couldn't fool her, she knew he was just saying that. To get her to 'open up' to him. Her own parent wouldn't even give her the time of day, much less Sasuku. She was all alone in this world, she accepted that much already. What kind of reality had a random person empathize with another? No reality was like that. This wasn't some sort of fairy tale book. This was real life, and real life was nothing but agony.

No one would go out of their way to get to know her pain, so why would someone do it now? It's just complete rubbish if you asked her.

The birds continued to chirp throughout the day. It was in the middle of the afternoon. She was supposed to be at her training right about then. But she didn't feel like going. Not after what that doofus did yesterday. He was nothing more than a baka. A complete _baka_!

_It's not h-healthy, e-especially for a talent-ed y-young lady such a-as yourself._

_So please, l-let me b-bare the p-pain for you instead s-so you don't h-h-have to._

She buried her face in her arms that rested on the windowsill. _"Baka…"_

* * *

"Thanks for coming, Ken-kun." Ayame closed the door behind him, watching Ken take in his surroundings with an observant eye. They were in the living room, just a few doors away from the outskirts of Ichiraku's customer service, their shoes placed one side in tradition.

"N-No problem, Ayame-s-sama." He smiled back at her.

"Please," She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a warm delightful smile pasted across her slightly heated face, "call me Ayame-chan. We _are_ friends after all."

He nodded in reply. Her appearance was actually surprising considering the usual outfit he always saw her in. It wasn't anything fancy though, just a simple tee and shorts, the shirt matching her white sandals, although, those were off her person for the meantime. Still, it was amazing how Ayame-sama– I-I mean, Ayame-_chan_ could be such a professional yet friendly individual behind the counter and a normally dressed teenager in front of it. It wasn't as if he deduced her as nothing but a servant for his daily lunch, that couldn't be any further away from the truth.

"Hai, A-Ayame-chan."

Her smile grew along with her blush.

They stayed like that for a while, Ayame enjoying her time with Ken, who in turn, was getting antsy under her constant stare. "S-So, s-shall we begin?"

"Oh," She snapped, "yeah, let's."

She took his hand and strolled through door to door, finally entering her room.

* * *

"Mom, I'm home!" Sakura gently kicked the door closed behind her with exhaustion. She flopped herself on the nearest couch and sighed in relief. Man, today was no joke. So many tiresome D-Rank missions. She was desperately wondering when the torture would end, and now here she was, poofed and barely able to keep herself conscious for long.

"Hi Onee-chan! Mommy's not here though." A voice spoke, footsteps sounding toward the kitchen. Sakura groaned.

"Is she out grocery shopping?" The pink-haired Genin asked her obnoxious little sister.

"No, she did that this morning. Mommy went to refill my medicine."

"Again? Was it not just yesterday she got a new bottle?"

"Actually, that was two days ago." The refrigerator opened.

"_One day you'll spend the last of mom's Ryo, and it'll be all your fault." _Sakura muttered distastefully.

"What was that, Onee-chan?"

"I said you're wasting mom's money." She said more sternly, eyes tightening in annoyance.

"No I'm not, am I?"

"Of course you are." Sakura sat up, life rejuvenated back in her aching body. "All those medical supplies, and for what? In an attempt to settle an unknown virus in your interiors that hasn't shown any signs of stopping? And worst of all, you shouldn't even be her responsibility!"

Mimiru stopped spreading the sustenance across her declared sandwich.

"But… mommy says she does it because mommy loves me, Onee-chan."

"She was just hiding the real reason from you, that you're just a waste of space, _and_ money. And stop calling me 'Onee-chan'." She glared right through the little girl's startled eyes.

"B-But we're family…"

"No, you're an adopted mistake. I told my mom I wanted a sibling, not a poor excuse."

Mimiru flinched at this. "I… O-Onee-chan doesn't mean that."

"Yes, I do." She deepened her glare. "Have you looked in the mirror before? You have a freakin tail and a pair of feline ears on your head. Is that normal? Do you think having that makes you a part of this family? News flash, it doesn't. It just defines how weird and out of place you are. So why don't you do _my_ mom and me a favor and go back to the Orphanage she once found you at."

Sakura watched how still her 'sister' stood. How of a statue she appeared. Her ears were drooped down for considerate care, her tail finally stopped swaying about. Mimiru continued to stay in place, eyes shadowed negatively to hide the slowly falling water.

Then she ran, out of Sakura's sight and right out of the place she called home.

Sighing, the young Haruno slouched deeper in the couch and stare up at the ceiling. It was blank with a single color, but her thoughts were in a spiraling vacuum painted blue.

What has she done?

* * *

"Thanks again for coming, Ken-kun." Ayame said, finishing the last part of the inky answer. "I probably wouldn't be corrected so early."

"N-No sweat, Ayame-c-chan." Ken smiled considerably, earning a smile from her as well. He was glad to be helping her with homework. It was actually the first time tutoring someone other than Saku-chan. It's amazing how much attention his 'tutoring' trait was getting, in a single week no less, though it still puzzled him why her Biology class would have homework on Ninja Adaptation? He understood Biology covered living organisms and their behaviors, but she wasn't in a Ninja Academy, so there should have been no real reason to conduct itself in that field.

But Ken supposed he couldn't speak for civilian schools' perspective. All he knew was that their curriculum was different from that of the Academy's, so that could be a possibility as well.

"H-Hey, Ayame-chan?"

"Hmm?" Her ears visibly perked up.

"Why d-d-did you ask m-me of all p-people to h-help you?"

"Oh…" She looked to the side, avoiding his gaze. "Well, it's not like I have many ninja friends to ask for assistance, in fact, Naruko and you are the only friends I have."

His eyes widened at this. "Really?"

"Yeah…" She gave him a smile before continuing, her fingers ended up twirling with a strand of brown hair, "and, well, I hoping to spend some time with you, Ken-kun."

Now his eyes were really wide. "N-Nani…?"

"Gee," She shook her head, her gaze on the book in front of her, "you really shouldn't let a lady repeat herself, Ken-kun."

"O-Oh, sorry. I-I guess I wasn't expect-i-ing something l-like that though."

"It's okay."

…

"Hey, Ken-kun?" She scooched closer.

"Y-Yeah?"

"If you really think about it," She looked at her window, a light blush painting her toned skin, "I haven't thanked you properly for saving me back then."

"Save? Y-You mean on t-that day? Well, I w-wouldn't really call it saving s-s-someone." He looked down, reminiscing the moment Ayame was mentioning. "All I d-did was be-c-come a punch-ing bag f-for those guys."

"T-That's not true!" She nearly yelled, before covering her mouth due to the amplitude. "I mean, you sacrificed yourself for my safety, Ken-kun. I'm grateful for that even if you used yourself as bait. I'm sorry for what happened to you though."

Ken smiled at her concern. "That's f-fine. I'm happy t-to be one if i-it means keep-ing you from h-h-harm."

The teen looked up at his eyes. Those red, exuberant eyes. It burned with fire and passion. She heard his handicap on not being able to mold his chakra a while ago, and to witness his persistence in being a ninja, it was just pure astonishment. He finally reached Genin level. He finally received a headband. He finally graduated.

He was finally a ninja.

His wish was granted, and yet, he was looked down upon for numerous of reasons she never got to know, with one of them being his inability. To Ayame though, that inability was nothing to be ashamed of. It was one of those things that just drove a person even higher. It wasn't a handbrake, it was an accelerator, and she could easily see Ken going to places no other ninja could ever comprehend.

It was so inspirational. Ken, Naruko, both of them surviving the discriminative odds everyone else was forcing down their throats. It was a magical miracle, gifting others a reason to not give up. To not look back just because of your current circumstances. To keep looking forward and focus on what will be in store, and those two Genin were the pinnacle pillars of said hope and ambitiousness.

Just looking at his eyes however, was giving her a drive to become a better version of herself. It seemed to have a hypnotic spell on her. To just dive in headfirst in any situation that came her way. To let go of hesitation's hand and grab tightly onto his. His pale, yet comforting hand.

"U-Ur, Ayame-c-chan?" Ken looked at where the girl was holding onto.

"Yeah…?"

She sounded mellow, as if she was under some sort of incantation. "Is every-t-thing okay?"

"Mmhmm…" She nodded, still looking into his eyes with half lidded ones, scooching ever so closely.

"O-kay…" He cleared his throat, feeling a bit nervous for some reason. Ken would've pulled his hand away right about now, but the hold she had on him spoke volume. "Well now, w-w-we should g-get on with y-your homework, don't y-you think?"

"Ken-kun?" She took a moment to look away from her magician.

"Y-Y-Yeah?"

"Do you… are you and Naruko… together?"

"Together? W-What do you m-mean?"

"Like… are you two a… couple?" The words left a sour taste in Ayame's mouth. It was equally difficult to say than to come to terms with in her mind.

"Oh… you m-mean g-girl-friend and boy-f-friend?" His cheeks were now rosy as well, the prospect never crossing his mind before, but was still strong in terms of meaning. How did they end up talking about pairs all of a sudden? And he and Naruko? Where was all of this coming from? Were they not just discussing the concepts of kunais and shurikens a minute ago? He almost missed the tightening hand over his own.

"Yeah…" Her cheeks were on fire now. Ayame's heart was pounding just thinking about such devotion. It didn't sit well with her to know they were referring to him and Naruko specifically though.

"Well…" He was now thinking it through. But why should he? It was readily apparent that they were close, but not _that_ close. It was actually an absurd notion to think that anyone in their right mind would be together with someone so pathetic in the first place. But he supposed his delay was one of nervousness. The hand on top of his own wasn't helping either. The two of them were just good friends. They had done everything together.

Play with each other.

Laugh with each other.

Eat with each other.

Sat with each other.

Talk with each other.

It was just what best friends did, or at least, he hoped Naruko viewed him as such. Maybe 'good' would be more believable than 'best'. After all, she wasn't like him. The village may have been mean to her too, that he would admit. But if you really thought about it, Naruko had more people having her back than he would ever.

Iruka-sensei.

The Hokage.

Sakura-chan and co. when they were not yelling at each other. They may not be good friends, maybe only acquaintances, but they had each other's backs back at the Academy.

He? Who was Tayamaru Kenjo again?

Oh yeah. Nothing more than a pathetic lunatic who talks with voices in his head.

So, yeah, Ken didn't think he would ever have someone that close to him ever. He just had what he had. That's all there was to it.

"N-No, we aren't."

He didn't know if it was his mind playing tricks on him again, but Ken could've sworn he saw a small and vague smile replacing her expression for a second there. "Then…" She scooched even closer, their thighs touching and her free hand's fingers overlapping his. "…would you mind if…" She bit her bottom lip if only to try to calm her rushing heart. It was as if the darn thing wanted to break free right through her chest, banging on the jail bars that were her rib cage.

She felt sweaty as well, her face representing that of a bright, red tomato and it's fever that of a erupting volcano. Ayame was really going through to the very end, wasn't she? She couldn't believe it, but this predicament she planned was actually coming to fruition. Ken was right in front of her, alone in her room.

Her Ken was all alone with her.

She began to lean closer to her hero. Her savior. Ken just stayed still, frozen with a nervous spine. He didn't know what to make of this. Was she seriously going–

The door opened, and Ayame froze along with Ken.

Her father stared at the two.

They stared back.

…

* * *

Life was strange. There was no doubt about that. Naori of all people should know that destiny was given to you by life. It didn't matter what you say or do, if life gave you something, you take it without disinclination. That was just facts. Facts, facts, facts. But sometimes, she couldn't help her curiosity. It was a loose cannon. Although, that was understandable since she herself was a loose cannon. Those were just facts.

But life was _strange_. Really, really _strange_. So much so that her curiosity couldn't help but try to pull off the covers that hid all the answers of life. Or at least, to reveal the answers she was looking for.

That was why she was in front his door. Tayamaru Kenjo. The guy everyone despised because of one fatal incident in his past. Right after the Kyuubi's attack. It might have been coincidence, it might have been a trigger to something far more deeper. She wasn't quite sure herself. After all, she was just an infant when that happened. Just how he was.

Too bad they couldn't be in the same crib though, that would've been just a fated delight. So _adorbs_! Anyway, where was she again? The Third Shinobi War? Nope, too far, from her birth even. Oh yeah, the Kyuubi's rampage. Stupid fox. Why did it go on a tantrum like a stranger had taken it's candy? What a baby. Was that it though? That would be funny if it was.

She giggled, but knocked nonetheless. If only she was there to stop what had happened, Ken's incident that is. She cared about the Kyuubi's victims, of course, well, as much as someone could care about some random bunch of dead people, but she was focused on Ken however. She hoped that he was okay. Ever since they bumped into each other that Saturday evening, Naori could've sworn her body went into an instant coma and was dragged right back to life. Although, that might have just been her, since she remembered quite distinctly that her person ran away after realizing who she bumped into rather than faint like an imbecile.

Life told her that Ken would suffer a dramatic concussion when they met eyes! No joke! Just ask life itself. But she doubted they would answer, but that didn't make it any less true. She wasn't a crazy chick! No siree! She was as normal as your typical crazy woman…

Wait, scratch that thought.

Hang on, did she not knock a while ago?

Knock, knock, knock.

Maybe he was sleeping? Pfft! Who was she kidding? In his current state, there was no such thing as dreamland; Ken physically couldn't drift even if he wanted to. Which at first scared her out of her boots, but after observing his person more closely, Naori could tell he was not lacking in energy, which was a relieving plus for the blue headed Genin. What? She cared for him, okay? Don't look at her as if she were crazy. She was not! Honest!

She couldn't even care more for him since nothing could surpass infinity. Right? That was why she ran away from him. It was because life told her he would die in a matter of minutes. She swear that was true. It was. It was, it was, it was…!

Wait a second, why wasn't anyone answering the door?

Knock, knock, knock.

"Hang on," She halted, "what if he would really die right now if we stare at each other? I cannot afford my Ken-kun to die! Although, he will eventually die, that's apparent, I know, 'Life'. I know he's the D-Prince of the world, but still, I cannot allow him to die before he takes his rightful place on his throne. But since he's alive, then everything you told me was a bunch of malarkey! At least, I hope it is. Ooh, then I can finally interact with my prince charming! I gotta look my best though, first impressions are always one of the most important things! But wait, was our previous encounter not the first? Aw, I blew it! Gosh fiddle sticks, I'm such an airhead! Now he'll think I'm a weirdo! I gotta prove him wrong though. I just gotta!"

She focused on the door for a moment before coming to terms with the silence she was receiving. "He's probably not home. Maybe he's with that blonde gal? Meh, I'm not worried who he hangs out with though." Her eyes dangerously flashed a form of blue spiritual essence, the vapor purging the helpless molecules around it. "They just better not make a move on him, or it'll be the last movement they will _ever_ make."

* * *

_She watched him from afar._

_He didn't notice._

_She observed each step he took, each movement he made._

_He didn't notice._

_She saw him struggle to keep up, to stay by everyone's side, to be noticed._

_He didn't notice._

_He looked at her once._

_She looked away._

_She was embarrassed of her actions._

_He didn't notice._

_But one day, they bumped into each other by chance, and her tongue was tied. The blue-haired girl was caught red handed. She didn't know what to do. He smiled. She smiled back._

_And that was the time Ken actually thought he was going to have a second friend. He _actually_ thought that were the case._

_How wrong he was._

* * *

But he kept staring at her, her knocked out state. What the…? There was blood trailing out of the little girl's nose. Wait, did he do that? But they just bumped into each other, no harm done, right? Right? Well, it didn't seem that way. She might have been very fragile. Either way…

He was really *Beep* now.

It was in the middle of the day, Konoha's population strolling normally down the streets. And their favorite glaring puppet had just knocked out a young girl. In front of them. Now he was definitely in the wrong. Even Ken knew that. But he'd rather gulp 'innocently' than give in to the fact. He wasn't going to go down without a fight after all.

It was her fault for not looking where she was going?

It was her fault for being so careless?

It was her fault for being so insubstantial?

No matter what excuse his brain tried to manifest, it was no good. The only thing that was left to do now was try to reimburse for his unbridled mistake.

That was why Ken ended up carrying her unconscious body on his back, smiling as if it was just a normal piggyback ride.

They didn't buy it though.

"Hey, the demon boy just attacked a little girl!"

"He's trying to kidnap her for his own personal gain!"

"The beast is trying to make a break for it!"

"Get him!"

"Don't let the monster escape!"

To sum it up, he was really going to get a deadly punishment for this act. But he couldn't stop his feet from taking him wherever in Konoha was called 'safe' for his behind. Ken's apartment probably wasn't the best bet for a hideout, since it was one of those places where they knew he might be in. Probably the only place. Also, there was _no damn lock_! Now he really wished that he picked up a security gift for his poor excuse of a breach. But it didn't matter now. Right now, Tayamaru Kenjo was a runaway 'demon' in a place he would obviously be captured and beheaded in a matter of minutes, if not, seconds.

This wasn't fair though. He had only tried to get back home without any problems, and now, he had human flesh on his back for a problem he wasn't expecting, not even a teeny tiny bit.

Ken turned a corner, a certain female still weighing him down as a mob of such sorts was hot on his tail. _'Please dear Kami let me get out of this alive.'_ He begged pathetically as he took one more turn. Finally, he saw an opening.

A dark alleyway nearby. Swerving in tiredly, Ken hid behind a conveniently placed trash can and crossed his fingers, figuratively, for safety. To his mad luck, and huge relief, the mob passed the two like the alleyway was invisible to other beings.

Phew! Man, was he sweating in anxiety! Putting the girl down as gently as he could, since she seemed to be very delicate before, Ken sat down next to her for a well deserve break. That would have to wait though, since the 'victim' of this whole quandary began to mumble her eyes awake. Ken carefully observed the drowsy little girl slowly blink back to reality, her head turning from side to side for familiarity. Soon her blue eyes landed on his person, but the youngling's expression kept persistent until a few seconds, agnization shocking her awake. That is, causing her to go unconscious once more with a fountain of blood spewing from her nostrils. Just as before.

Ken just blinked in response.

Nani?

* * *

"Urgh…" She felt as if a truck bumped into her at full throttle, or more accurately, a vampire sucked the life out of her and knocked her out with a huge ice block. Man, it really hurt. Her vision started to regain focus however, and the first thing she saw was someone she never thought would be this close to her. Ever.

"Ha-hub-hubba-ha-ha–"

"P-Please, don't freak o-o-out again."

Mimiru's lips were too heated to adjust herself to vocalize her response though, along with her face. Ken-kun, was _in front _of _her_!?

This had got to be a dream. There was no way this was true in any shape or form. How did they even end up like this in the first place? She couldn't remember what happened recently. All she remembered was running away from home, and bumping into something. Or somebody.

…Was that… was that somebody _Ken-kun_?

"Ha-Ha-Hub-Hub-Ha…"

"Shh, calm d-down." He placed a instinctive finger to her lips, a gasp attempting to escape her blood boiled slit. She felt hot. Her whole body was on fire, and Mimiru needed to cool off before she would die out of hyperventilation or a heat stroke.

Her lips felt moist to Ken, and if he were to check any other part of her being, or even take proper note of it, then he would spot wet, sticky sweat all over her peach skin. This was seriously not happening. Mimiru didn't even know about the gallon of droplets her body kept pouring out mercilessly, or the stuttering idiocy that came out of her young mouth. All she knew was the moment that was happening right now.

Again, she just couldn't believe her eyes. Her future husband was right here, and she just kept staring like a fixated statue. A sweaty statue that is.

"Calm yet?"

She simply, yet slowly nodded, her eyes locked onto his handsome orbs throughout.

Ken flashed a small smile. "Good. B-But are you okay? Y-You are really r-r-red in t-the face." His hand rested upon the second wet skin that was supposedly her forehead. "Are y-you sick?"

"I-I-I-I… I-I-I…"

"Hmm?" He tilted his head. "Could y-you please r-repeat that?"

She licked her dry, yet incredibly damp lips, and made to say the three special words lovers used to tie the knot.

"I lo–"

"Shh!" He covered Mimiru's mouth, and hid behind with her.

"That brat's got to be here somewhere!"

"Keep looking! He couldn't have gone far!"

Haruno's eyes were wide as dinner plates, but cut themselves in half after a while. He was touching her. Again! How could this moment get any better? This was true bliss. Her mind raced like a lightning jutsu, her heart had gone wild a long time ago. She rested her head on his left arm, trails of blood flowed through the incisions of his supposed chastity belt of a hand.

This was _truly _pure bliss.

Ken didn't know what to make of the running nose, so he let go out of reluctance. _'Her nose bleeds a lot.'_ Thank goodness, they were silent enough from getting spotted.

Mimiru just continued staring at her man like there was no tomorrow. Just a few minutes, or at least it seemed like it, the pigtail girl had reached rock bottom again. Running away from the only place she had called home. Then her knight in shining armor came along, and saved her, _again_. He truly was the man of her dreams. There was no other man in the world who could compete for her heart as how Ken-kun had done on day one.

"H-Here." He reached out a hand, a handkerchief being brought into view for the female. She looked down at it, then looked up. Now she was being offered a tissue from Ken-kun? How noble of him. Such a gentleman.

"A-Arigatou gozaimasu."

He smiled brightly at her manners. "You're w-welcome, urm…"

"A-Ah," she cleaned her nose, "M-Mimiru. Haruno Mimiru."

_B-But we're family…_

_No, you're an adopted mistake. I told my mom I wanted a sibling, not a poor excuse._

Oh… right… she forgot about that…

"H-Haruno? So you're family o-of Sakura-chan?"

"Yeah…" She looked down.

"Hey, why a-are you s-s-so sad all of a-a sudden?"

"I-It's nothing."

Ken frowned at this. "Please," he placed a hand over hers, "i-if there's something that's b-bothering you, then you c-can trust me, I s-swear."

He couldn't help but think of Saku-chan at this point. Mimiru's introversion reminded him of his supposed pupil, and how painful it seemed for her to hold in. He didn't want the girl to continue to keep it all in, and he didn't want Mimiru to either. They might have just met, and he might be asking a lot, since right now, they were merely acquaintances, but Kami damn it, he wouldn't allow more internal hurt to be inflicted upon others that didn't deserve it. Again, he didn't know much about Mimiru aside from her name, but he had a gutsy feeling that the poor little child had gone through something no one should in their entire life. And if insistence was the only way to break free of the wall, then so be it.

That seemed to be one of the only things Tayamaru was good at. Working on a person's nerves until a vein popped. He just hoped Mimiru wouldn't sucker punch his gut like how Sakuri had done. His poor gut…

"I-I…" She glanced at the sparking contact, then ogled over his extremely determined, and gorgeous facial expression. It was mesmerizing, and Mimiru ended up complying. As if she needed that much stimulus from Ken-kun to ever obey his will in the first place. "My Onee– S-Sakura doesn't want me as a sister…"

"Sakura-c-chan…?" He echoed.

"Yeah. But that's reasonable, though." Tears began to form through intense memories. "I'm just a freak with a s-stupid tail and ears…"

He looked over her, taking in her appearance for the first time as carefully as he could. She had limp ears and a shy tail, peeking out slightly from her backside. Those features seemed familiar to Ken though, but he decided right now wasn't the best time for reminiscing. "No, you're n-not."

"H-Huh?" She averted upward to his red rubies.

"Having t-those doesn't m-make you a freak, it makes y-y-y-y… it m-makes y-y-y-y–"

Damn it!

He bit his lip, clutching his sockets angrily as he gave his stupid body a chance to get ahold of itself. Mimiru stared at his silence, and then looked down again. "It's fine if you can't make up an excuse. I'm thankful you tried though, but you don't need to lie to me." She buried deeper into her folded arms that rested on her knees.

_It just defines how weird and out of place you are._

"I'm just a weirdo."

"N-No!" He nearly yelled.

Mimiru snapped up with shock defining her facial features.

"No," He said softly, "no you a-aren't. You're not a-a weirdo, Mimi-_chan_."

Her heart skipped a _huge _beat.

"I remember…"

_You're just a dead demon!_

"…w-when I was trying t-t-to fit in as w-well."

_There's that kid my mom keeps despising._

"It's difficult, I'm n-not going to lie t-to you."

_Oh yeah. My dad calls him a monster._

_Mine calls him a demon._

_Hah, I guess he does have red eyes. What a _freak_._

"People w-will try to k-kick you when y-you're down. That's j-just a sad f-fact, I should k-know."

_You can't even hang yourself. What a loser!_

"But each k-kick shouldn't m-mean pain. It s-should mean _motivation_."

_You will never have anyone who cares about you!_

"Sometimes it's just too m-much…"

_He shouldn't be doing this. He shouldn't be approaching anyone, no matter if they're a child or not. They'll just find a way to make him feel awful in the end. He should halt and just ignore the sobbing. Just ignore them._

"…and you l-lose track of w-who you are in t-this world…"

_But he just couldn't ignore it for some reason. They were calling his name. Each sob was calling his name._

"…of what you w-were put on this p-planet for at t-the very beginning…"

_He just couldn't ignore the crying blonde sitting on that swing nearby._

"…But i-if that happens…"

"_H-Hi…"_

"…if that h-happens…"

_She stopped exclaiming her emotions, and slowly looked up._

_Soul met soul._

_Wet face met wet face._

_Teary eyes met teary eyes._

_Frown met smile._

_Cerulean met ruby._

_Girl met boy._

"…all you r-really need…" He stood up.

He reached out with a hand.

_He reached out with a hand._

She looked up at him. Cerulean sparkled intensively.

_She looked up at him. Cerulean sparkled intensively._

"…is a f-friend…"

"_P-P-P-Please d-don't cry. A s-smile would p-probably s-suit you b-better."_

"…to h-help you sway b-back on track."

She speechlessly stared right back…

_She speechlessly stared right back…_

…then smiled…

…_then smiled…_

…and _grab _onto _his _pale_ yet_ friendly _gloved _hand.

* * *

Knock, knock, knock.

"Come in."

The Hokage watched the Anbu escort the troublemaker in his domain.

"Take a seat, my boy."

He complied.

"I heard an inconvenient event happen in the village of a little girl being kidnapped and horribly harassed by a certain boy."

He kept silent.

"…Would you happen to have anything to do with it?"

Still, he stayed silent, his vision on his lap.

The Hokage sighed. The child was really making this difficult for the both of them. He made to continue, but the boy beat him to it.

"I have a-a question."

Slightly surprised by the initial response, Sarutobi decided to go with it. "Ask away, Ken-kun."

What the young Genin did right then was the last thing Hiruzen would ever expect someone like Ken-kun to do.

In a few seconds flat, his jacket was thrown to the side and shirt pulled over.

A circle of black illustration covered the youngster's entire backside.

"Do you h-have anything to do w-with this?"

* * *

**End of Chapter**

**There you go guys, chapter five. Personally, I think it's more of a sway away from the actual plot, but you can be the judge of that.**

**Did you like it? Hate it? Want to comment on your feelings? Feel free to use that review button as an outlet, I certainly wouldn't mind, and would be grateful if you do.**

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**Thanks to the folks who reviewed so far, you guys rock times a hundred!**

**Anyway, that will be all. See ya guys later!**

**-Narurific-**


	6. To Be Damned

**Chapter 06**

**To Be Damned**

**-WWWWWWWWWWW-**

Empty. It is such a superficial word. A word that somehow was full of meaning. Meaning of his meaningless. His meaningless soul connecting to another. Creating life. Life that both were missing for so long in their young lives.

That, however, was slipping away from one of them. It's soul becoming acquainted with 'empty' once more. His insecurity of himself being one of many reasons of such inconvenience. He tried feeling that spark again he used to hold onto. The spark that felt so warm and nice. But he couldn't.

It was impossible for him. No matter how unbeknownst it was not to him, he just continued to slip further and further away into 'empty'.

The frightening thing of all of this wasn't the destination, or the journey, or even the duration. No, what he really was afraid was…

Ken wondered how different life could have been if he had not been born like 'this'. Something that people cringe their noses to like expired milk. Wait, excuse his simile. Even milk were wanted once upon a time. That wasn't true for him, unfortunately. He was just a sad excuse for something not wanted in the first place. Oh, sorry, again with his stupid metaphors. Sadness was what some people, such as Goths, enjoyed in their life time. Or was that just discriminative? Heh, at least they were still viewed as part of society.

Ken could even put them in order. On top was the Kage, obviously, then the Anbu and Jounin. The Chunin were next, and after that Genin and 'normal' people. That's it. Wait, what about him?

…_What about him?_

He wasn't even on the chart. Genin? Kenjo? Pfft! Do not make him laugh. This headband he wore was given to him. _Given_ to him. He didn't earn it. It was a way of them saying 'Get the hell out of our Academy, you demon!'

_You demon! I don't want to see you near my Orphanage ever again!_

It was all a ploy to have him 'believe' he had some kind of potential to be something more than nothing.

_One day, I'll be Hokage, _believe_ it, 'ttebayo!_

To have him not feel like a lonely piece of crap all the time.

"_Uzumaki Naruko, Uchiha Sasuku, and Tayamaru Kenjo, you three are assigned as Team Seven under the watchful eye of Hatake Kakashi."_

In an attempt to lower the risk of him 'accidentally' stumping his toe.

"_Would you act helplessly like you did on your first C-Rank mission, or will you finally take charge and prove the doubters wrong?"_

To keep him from the truth.

"_I cannot say I do, Ken-kun."_

"_D-Don't lie to me! I k-know for a f-fact that f-fuuinjutsu are h-highly ranked and o-only few Konoha Shin-o-obi know h-how to do it! So j-just spit it out already i-if you know some-t-thing about this damn s-s-s-seal!"_

_Tears began to form._

To keep him away from something important.

"_I told you my answer already. I had no idea you had a seal in the first place."_

_Eyes became shadowed._

"_T-Then remove it."_

To have him ignorant of something that he was involved in.

_Eyes grew. "Excuse me?"_

"_Remove i-it!"_

To keep him in the darks.

"_I… I'm afraid I cannot do that, my boy."_

"_Why t-then!?"_

All alone.

"_It's… complicated, Ken-kun. All you need to know is it's for the best."_

"_So you l-lied then. You _d-do_ know something a-about it!"_

"_Please, calm down, Ken-kun."_

"_Did y-you do this to me?!"_

In the dark.

"_I–"_

"_Is t-this the reason I c-c-cannot mold chakra!? That I c-c-cannot b-be a r-real ninja!?"_

"_You _are_ a real ninja, Ken-kun."_

"_N-N-N-No, I'm not!"_

_His heart pounded like crazy._

_His eyes overflowed like an unfinished tap._

In the dark… forever.

"_And i-it's all your fault!"_

"_It wasn't me."_

"_Then r-remove it!"_

"_I already told you, I can't."_

"_Why n-not!?"_

"_Hokage-sama, what's going o– hey! Stop disrespecting Lord Third like that!"_

"_Tell me a-already!"_

"_Please, escort Ken-kun outside."_

"_D-Don't a-avoid the question, old m-man! Answer m-m-me! N-No, let go! LET G-GO!"_

Ken looked up at the sky. The clear night sky. It sparkled so beautifully. So peacefully. So desirably. He couldn't help but bathe himself in the multitude of stars. It struck him with awe at how lovely they were. As a kid, instead of counting sheep, Ken counted each magical star, not hoping to drift off, but to just calm and feel a sense of objectivity. An objectivity that would one day get him adopted.

That never happened though.

Seeing face after face come and go, averting from him in search of an 'actual human being', not a demon in anthropomorphic clothing. It pained him each time watching the departure of one of his fellow Orphan leave, reducing his company despite how non-friendly it was.

One by one, they left. All Ken had done was sat in the corner, mustered the best adoring smile he could, and witness each rejected expression after another flash his way. It was like an awful void deep inside the bowels of his person.

Ken tried to fill that void with as much hope the stars and his little fractured heart could project.

But he failed to do that.

He tried to fill it with the salty tears of loneliness. He tried _really_ hard. He forced his eyes to dry. He forced the last bit of droplets his childish pupils could produce. He milked it like the spilled water he was forced to clean from the Orphans who constantly kicked the glass over.

But unsurprisingly, he failed. Again.

Just like every other thing he attempted to do in life.

But all of that was okay though, because he got to meet Naruko, and although Ken didn't get a dad or a mom in the end, Naruko was all he needed at that time.

Right now, he didn't count the stars. Surprisingly, he never had the time, despite his non-busy schedule. His mind always had a lot to think about.

Like how the man who closely resembled a father figure to Ken betrayed him with a sharper knife than the villagers had.

That was why, in spite of admiring the night's beauty from his messy apartment, he was beginning to feel it again.

That feeling of rock bottom.

It was starting to catch up to him.

He couldn't hide, he couldn't run any longer.

Ken was slowly becoming _'empty'_ once more.

**-WWWWWWWWWWW-**

"Yo." Kakashi saluted, his students coming into view as he stopped in front of the three…

Wait, hold that thought.

"Where's Ken-kun?"

"He's not here yet." Naruko said meekly, the fact obviously weighing her usual tone like an anchor, if the past few days hadn't done so already.

Well, this wasn't getting any better. Kakashi expected this, but it was not his place to dwell in. Ken-kun repeated himself over and over again that he didn't have a major problem, or any problem at all, so who were they to question him?

His team.

However, it was readily apparent that Ken-kun didn't truly view himself as a formidable ninja, if his goal in life was anything to go by. Maybe the stress was getting to him? Sigh, look at him, making such accusations only now. Kakashi assumed a confrontation was in order right about then.

"You two go on ahead, I'll go get Ken-kun." Their sensei turned and shunshin'd out of there.

Naruko continued to stare in the man's previous direction, but her mind wasn't focused on her surroundings at all. She had been too busy waiting and worrying for her friend. First quietness, then distance, and now a lack of presence? If she didn't know any better, then the blonde would have suspected his condition to be getting worse and worse. But what was the reason for all of this though? Why was he acting so strangely? Why wouldn't he just _tell her_ already?!

"Hey idiot," Sasuku turned for the training ground, "we're expected to get a move on."

"…Yeah…" She sounded so tired, so out of energy. Her motivation for the day was losing it's touch, too concentrated on her BFF. Before taking off however, she looked back one more time. _'I hope you solve whatever you are struggling with soon, Ken. Please…'_

**-WWWWWWWWWWW-**

He didn't mean to barge in. He honestly didn't expect the door to creak open with a subtle knock either. But he did went in regardless. The dimness and lack of light welcomed Kakashi to the living room. Or, what seemed to be a living room that is.

The place was in shambles. Table tipped over, waste occupying the floor like the busy street outside. The couch appeared to have been in a fight with a feline's claws, fluff bleeding out and scattered all over like the area was a literal litter box. There were dents everywhere you looked on the walls, the paint decaying out of age.

It was just a complete mess. A dump. The stench was not helping either. The expired ramen spilling the ground burned the man's nostrils. He hoped this fiasco of a scene recent, or at the very least did not apply when Ken-kun received it. Honestly, the Hokage wouldn't allow anyone to live in such a pigsty, right? Whoever did this had to be really upset.

That only gave Kakashi more of a reason to check up on his student. This was the first time he entered this area of Konoha though, and he figured it wouldn't be the last due to the way Ken-kun had been acting.

"Ken-kun?" He called, but no one answered. Was he not here? Kakashi took a careful stroll through the apartment as his initial thought was becoming more believable with each passing step. _"Where could he be then?"_

What Kakashi found interesting was the lack of rooms. Only the living room and kitchen being beside each other, and a short hallway leading to… his bedroom.

Nothing else was beyond those three places, and all three shared one fatal asset. Wasteland. Glass. Black dried paint. Sheets. Maybe the bedroom didn't exactly look too bad as the others, but it might have been the fact that it barely had any contents to go by. There was no bed even. And a weird, musky scent invited him in it's abode. Was that blood? No, it couldn't be. There were no closets, and definitely no redness. Only blackness splattered on the floor. Maybe in the drawer? A single, suspicious looking drawer. For some reason, that had the most ominous aura in this apartment. And for some reason, Kakashi was making his way to it.

Each step led him closer and closer to finding out what it held inside. He reached out with a hand, knob just an inch away–

"What i-is Kakashi-s-sensei doing here?"

He stopped, and turned.

Ken stood by the doorway, looking rather upset.

That might be understandable, since the copy ninja allowed himself in without any consent.

"I was looking for you, Ken-kun."

"Well, I-I'm certainly n-not in a d-drawer."

…

"Heh, you're right." He eye smiled at the boy, but his expression didn't waver. He just kept staring at Kakashi. "Well, care to explain why you didn't show up at our rendezvous?"

"I didn't f-f-feel like it."

That was certainly blunt, especially for someone like Ken's caliber.

"Ken-kun, you cannot skip your priorities like that, you should know that by now."

"Is t-there a reason you n-need me there?"

Again, his expression was so… plain, like he was talking about the weather.

"Of course. You're part of Team Seven, Ken-kun."

…

They just kept looking at each other in awkward, yet contemplative silence. Soon, Ken sighed. He shouldn't be angry at Kakashi-sensei as well. He had no logical reason to. It wasn't fair for him to lass out at everyone around him, no matter how subtle it was. He guessed he did step out of line by avoiding his responsibilities as a teammate. But still, it didn't change how hurt he was inside.

"Fine, l-let's go." He turned and walked down the hall, Kakashi following suit, but not before giving the piece of manmade artifact one last glance.

**-WWWWWWWWWWW-**

"It seems Ken-kun had discovered the seal." Sarutobi stared at the table of council members seated in the room with him.

"It took the boy long enough." Danzo stated stoically.

"I told you it would only be a matter of time. We have to take action before the incident escalates to what had happened years ago!" Hyuga Hiashi furrowed.

"I say we end the little brat." Yamanaka Inoichi proposed.

"And how would antagonizing the child avoid such a tragedy from happening again?" Inuzuka Tsume asked curiously.

"You sound as if you want the boy to run amok and release the seal." Aburame Shibi shot back calmly.

"The kid hasn't shown to be a threat yet, so I just don't believe in such a drastic action." The woman waved him off.

"Coming from an Inuzuka, I'm surprised." Hiashi glared.

"What does that mean?" She growled.

"The council already know of your hesitant reactions to go against the well being of Tayamaru, Inuzuka." Danzo intervened. "For some reason, you seem very fond of him."

"N-No I'm not!" She slammed her hands against the wood.

"Inuzuka, please, restrain yourself from informal behavior." Lord Third reprimanded.

"Regardless," Matsuru Akari started, "I think an immediate response is in order. And judging by the lack of reasoning the protests are displaying, I think I'll approve of Hyuga's suggestion."

"Then what are you proposing we should do? Administer his assassination?" Mitokado Homura spoke up.

"If it means keeping our village from harm, then yes, I am." Hiashi established.

"What are we, Sound Ninja?"

"Too soon, Mitokado." Utatane Koharu commented.

"Just as _his _suggestion is." Tsume glared at Hiashi.

"So you _do_ have a bias stance." Danzo interpreted.

"No, I don't!"

"Please, calm down already, Inuzuka." Koharu advised.

"We're not a bunch of animals. Let's think this through thoroughly." Tsume ignored.

"Give us a reason to sway away from protecting Konoha then." Inoichi raised an eyebrow.

"We could keep an eye on him for the time being, to perceive whether he would attempt to remove the seal." Koharu laid down neutrally.

"That would be a good idea," Danzo said stoically, "if only we had Anbu to spare. As we all know, the last of them are busy right now with secretive matters at the moment. This is why I suggested to take Tayamaru under my wing to keep him from such happenings in the first place."

"As I said before, Danzo," Sarutobi glanced at the man, "I will not condone ROOT to interfere with anything involving the boy."

The scarred man stared back, a glimpse of something radiating from his orbs before he broke eye contact silently.

"Since you failed to delay the council's 'righteous' plans any further, I suppose we skip to the final decision." Hiashi glanced at the Hokage, who in turn averted to the rest of the members for clarification.

He sighed at the lack of response. He guessed it was time. Hiruzen tried his best, he really did. He honestly didn't want it to come to this, but there was only so much he could do. He had been hogging the decision to himself with responsibility. Putting Ken-kun in an Orphanage, finding him one of the only available apartments left, and graduating him from the Academy.

But it was time to face facts, he supposed. Ken-kun would eventually release the seal, and if that happened, it would be too late. Now was the time to take charge and give the council their rightful words back to their mouths, and unfortunately determining whether Ken-kun lived afterward or not. Judging by the deficiency of protestation, Hiruzen knew it was apparent what would the outcome be.

"All in favor of the problem's immediate extermination, raise their–"

"I have a proposal."

They all looked at the disruption, and waited for the Uchiha Mikoto to elaborate.

**-WWWWWWWWWWW-**

"Is there any particular reason you felt 'home sick'?"

Ken almost chuckled at that. Him? Homesick? If he had a choice, then he'd have traded that dump for anything better. But he understood beggars couldn't be choosers, and the apartment had done him a favor becoming his one and only home, no matter how disassembled it might be. Ken could still remember the moment he received it. It was after losing his place at the Orphanage. After deciding to kill himself.

After meeting Naruko.

His life had been in the dirt before he laid eyes on her cerulean orbs, her illusive eyes. Naruko gave him something he hadn't felt in so long. Something only the countless stars in the sky made him feel as much as they could.

Hope.

Hope for a brighter future, or at least a reason to keep going forward. She was his endless goal. Then, as if magic dispersed out of their fated encounter, the Hokage had introduced him to his own little abode. It wasn't the best place to stay in. The building in general wasn't even his, it was a bunch of people's. The apartment however, was _all his_, nobody else's_._

It was right on his sixth birthday. The day he was considered too old for the Orphanage's responsibility. The day he thought his life was over, only to be pulled back up by a bright smiling, blonde angel. Ken had frowned joyfully with watering eyes, hugging the man so tightly like his life depended on it.

It was moments like those that made the boy really feel like he was put on this planet for a reason. A reason not to die as how he always interpreted otherwise.

But now? Now it was just viewed as the dirt outside. Sleeping on the soil might as well be similar to resting on that hard floor of his. Since it wasn't a gift through the eyes of Ken no more.

It was just a petty damaged bunker given to him from the one man that showed kindness to him other than Naruko. He didn't know if it was because of his changed perspective on the Hokage that gave him such an idea, or if he just couldn't see the bigger picture until now. Either way, that building was nothing but a hollow nest that reminded him of how much everybody hated his guts.

But despite all of this, despite observing the symbolism the apartment stood for through a different lens, Ken answered with contradictory.

"I just m-missed my h-home. Nothing s-special." He looked up at the man, and gave him an easily-seen fake smile. "D-Don't worry, it won't h-happen again."

Kakashi said nothing to that, and instead provided the boy a momentary glance before looking forward.

He wanted to say something though. He really did. Anything to give truth to that false smile of Ken-kun's. But he honestly didn't know what to say. Kakashi thought of creating a stronger bond between the two through one-on-one training sessions, a thought that crossed the Jounin's mind numerous of times. But there was really nothing he could teach Ken-kun other than combat and aim, which he was becoming more better at by himself. He certainly didn't need help in those fields, so Kakashi couldn't think of a lot of things they could do to uplift the Genin's spirit.

All Kakashi could do was encourage him on the sidelines, much like Naruko-chan was.

Everyone from the Academy knew of the lacking prowess the boy had, including him, so he was definitely a case he hadn't dealt with, especially if said case was a graduated Academy student and on the road to being a ninja. However, the real question wasn't if he could make it, or even the different bumps along the way. No, it was only a matter of how long would Ken-kun hold onto the edge of the cliff. It was a depressing reality, one he didn't want to believe in, but knew was inevitable.

Rock Lee was handicapped as well, yes, but was still able to mold his chakra. Ken-kun couldn't do that. So it might be best for him to just find a better dream. Honestly, this wasn't a fairytale, it was _real life_! Ken-kun wouldn't last long outside, and only had survived with the help of Team Seven's other members.

This was difficult to swallow for Kakashi, don't get him wrong, so he couldn't even imagine how discouraged his student might be to have such thoughts weighing on his psyche and more.

Hopefully, if there was, a miracle would appear and grant Ken-kun the strength to finally exceed his disabilities.

Hopefully…

**-WWWWWWWWWWW-**

_He didn't want to steal._

_It was wrong to do that._

_But it was the only way he could find a rope._

_The only way to find a wooden stool placed conveniently on a building's covered deck._

_It was the only way he could accomplish his final objective for life._

_To have it tied around a branch outside the pouring outskirts of Konohagakure._

_It was the only way he could die without chickening out._

_To hang himself in the pouring weather._

_How wrong he was._

"_S-S-S-S–" He wanted to apologize so badly for his behavior, but the owners of said objects wouldn't give the time of day._

_He deserved that though._

_He deserved to die as well._

_Why wasn't he dead then?_

_Why was he still breathing?_

_Stop breathing!_

_He drummed his chest in frustration._

_Stop breathing, damn it!_

_To think, the only time he forgot to breathe, was when he laid eyes on such sad, yet striking eyes of a lone girl on a swing._

"_W-Wha…?" She blinked back._

**-WWWWWWWWWWW-**

"_I s-s-said, a smile s-suits you b-better."_

Naruko smiled at the fond memory. She would never forget how the two met. It was something that was entrenched in her frontal lobe, and will forever be a remarkable moment of a beaming light that kept her going on her bleakest days.

However, that light becomes immediately dim once her Ken doesn't act as 'Ken' anymore. So you could imagine how big the boost she had received once Ken entered Training Ground Three with a plastered smile.

A subtle smile, but a smile nonetheless. It said that the green preteen was starting to come around again.

The blonde felt like the sun had come out of hiding, and was blessing her with an energetic radius.

"Hey, S-Sasuku-chan?" Ken approached once Kakashi had Naruko occupied with a short lecture on her skills.

The emo female looked at him unenthusiastically. "What?"

"Well, I-I was just w-wondering what time s-should I come around?"

"My mom is at home all day, so she probably has everything settled already. Just get there as soon as you can."

"Then y-you wouldn't mind i-if we walked together?"

Sasuku's eyes widened a bit, a bit flustered by the sudden proposal. "What are you saying, baka!? Why would you want to walk with me all of a sudden?"

"Urm… well, I r-really don't know wh-where your r-residence is."

"Then ask for directions."

"B-But…" He fidgeted awkwardly. "it w-would be rude and a-awkward i-i-if I w-were to a-approach alone."

"No, it wouldn't. Stop giving excuses, Dead Last." She glared with annoyance.

"Please…" He ignored the expression, "p-please, just… could y-you just w-walk with me?"

"No, so stop asking me, baka!"

Ken flinched at the volume, but tried his best to recover. "I b-beg of you, Sasuku-c-chan. Just, p-please–"

"I'm warning you, Dead Last. You're pissing me o–"

"I-I'm scared."

…Wait, what did he just say?

"I'm… s-scared." He confessed, looking down shamefully.

"…Don't be ridiculous. Why would you be scared? Of my mom?"

He continued to stare at the ground.

"My mother is not going to hurt you, Dead Last. So stop acting so irrationally."

"I-I…"

Sasuku sighed. What a scaredy cat. "Fine, just don't annoy me along the way, got it?"

Ken nodded, a genuine smile crossing his face. "Hai."

**-WWWWWWWWWWW-**

"_Hey there, pretty girl."_

_She knew she shouldn't have stayed for after classes._

"_Hey, where do you think you're going?"_

_It was a mistake she would regret for the rest of her life._

"_Gotcha."_

_Honestly, she shouldn't have listened to her stupid head. I mean, she knew she wanted extra lessons for a better report card, but she shouldn't have been _that_ desperate!_

"_Why were you running, girl? We were only planning to give you a good time."_

_No. She understood her blunder, just please, no…_

"_But I guess I like 'em feisty."_

_Please, _no_…_

"_Don't worry about it, it'll feel good soon. I promise."_

NO!

**-WWWWWWWWWWW-**

"Hey there, Naruko." Teuchi greeted with a smile, but it shrunk a bit when he saw her without any company for a third time. "So he really didn't spare the time to eat with you?"

"Yeah…" She flashed a small smile, "but that's okay, tomorrow Ken's sure to return, 'ttebayo."

"You seem confident about that, Naruko." The man went to work in preparing her usual order. "I hope you're right though. I really miss the boy's presence in here."

"Me too…" Naruko frowned, their recent departure still plaguing her. Ken left not in the direction where he typically went, but instead followed Sasuku-teme of all people. What was going on between the two of them? Sure, she caught glimpses of them conversing for short moments, but that was about it. Did the two have plans? Without her? The thought troubled her though, knowing that he would rather spend time with Sasuku-teme than to eat Ramen with her.

She couldn't help it, it was a blow to her self-esteem. She just hoped that their time together wasn't truly the reason he would skip lunch with her. Was she not important anymore? No, she wouldn't think like that. They were BFFs. BFFs stick together til the very end, right? Ken wouldn't abandon her, that was just a blasphemous idea. Tomorrow, Ken would join her, and everything would go back to normal.

Believe it, 'ttebayo…

…

**-WWWWWWWWWWW-**

Oh, this was too good. This was too good to be true. He was planning for this day for so long. Now, it was finally here. His patience had paid off, and now his plan was going to commence. What a plan it was. Soon, he would become the strongest ninja there ever was. And no one was going to stop him. _No one_!

Not even Lord Third. Since, let's face it, when such power met him, he needed Namikaze's help to take it down. But that man was dead right now. The only man that could stop the problem, was _dead_.

He smirked deviously.

Oh yes, Touji Mizuki was really going to enjoy this.

**-WWWWWWWWWWW-**

"Kenjo? From the Academy?" Aburame Shino inquired his teammate.

"Yeah, _that_ one, not the other one next to him. I mean really, how many Kenjos do you know?" Inuzuka Kibira asked irritatingly, her pup relaxing next to her.

"Point taken." He said depreciatingly.

"Are you s-sure it wasn't someone else?" A voice spoke up, the two looking toward their third member.

"I agree. I mean, why would your mother speak about keeping tabs on Kenjo of all people?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out myself, Shino. And it _was_ Ken. She was speaking to another Anbu about spying on him for some reason. You just have to believe me on this one, guys."

"Maybe to keep him in line?"

"That… that's just stupid, Shino!" Kibira glared annoyingly at the male. "What would Ken do that could be harmful to others? He never was a threat in the Academy, and he never will be!"

"You are right. He _is_ considered Dead Last for a reason."

Kibira growled venomously. "T-That's not what I meant, you numbskull! He has the potential, you just don't know it yet!"

"Okay okay, calm down. Seriously, you always get so emotional when it comes to him."

"I…" She trailed off before averting with a glare. "That's not true."

"Sure." He said apathetically.

In the midst of it all, Hyuga Hinata stayed quiet in thought. Why wouldn't she? The way Kibira spoke made it sound as if Ken-kun might be in trouble somehow. But what sort of trouble? She never remembered Ken-kun being a troublemaker at the Academy, or anywhere for that matter, and would only do the right thing, despite his handicap. She just hoped he was okay, wherever he was.

**-WWWWWWWWWWW-**

If he had to choose a euphemistic phrase for this whole dilemma, then 'awkward' would be the perfect word for it. Maybe the only word for it, he supposed. I mean, he wasn't stupid. Knowing every vital sentence in his Ninja One-Oh-One handbook should be enough of a logical argument. But that sort of knowledge wouldn't help him during lunch with one of the most esteemed clans ever, not one bit.

He had to admit though, meeting Uchiha Mikoto was not as bad as he made it out to be. Sasuku-chan was right, there was nothing scary behind a loving smile like Mikoto's. There was nothing scary about those warm, caring eyes of hers. Or her presence as a whole which was covered by a white apron and an everyday dress.

Ken had been scared from rejection when meeting new people. It didn't help being viewed as some 'monster' either. He didn't want to be rejected if he had anything to say about it. He would avoid unfamiliar faces if it meant keeping the amount of rejection he had from rising any further. But avoiding Ms. Uchiha wasn't a possibility; he was _expected_ to arrive for the meeting. So rejection might have certainly been in order if he were to be a 'no show', with a hint of anger to top it off.

He couldn't do that to someone he didn't even know, especially not to a clan that was one of the founders of the village he was currently subsiding in. 'Monster' might as well be his real name if he stayed away. So here he was, sitting down on his ankles in front of the many assortments of food, bowl and chopsticks in hand with a nervous spine. He shouldn't have such a spine though, there was no reason to. She was just so different after all.

Different from other adults.

Hopefully it stayed like that, since this wasn't the first time an adult was nice to him.

Inuzuka Tsume flashed through his mind for a second there.

She wasn't going to hurt him in any way, she had welcomed him, and was offering hospitality out of her own will. Not because it was her responsibility to, as far as he knew, but because she _wanted_ to. Though it wasn't the first time he received hospitality, it still felt foreign to him, a good kind of foreign feeling, but such kindness was going to let him break down in tears as if they were coming from Naruko herself.

Ken didn't want to cry. He wouldn't allow himself to. In front of company like Mikoto, it was just so disrespectful. She wasn't being nice to receive tears, no matter if it were joyful or not. Ms. Uchiha could simply verbally spit on him if she wanted a waterfall to occur. So he had to endure it, not embrace it.

Endure, not embrace.

He felt a hand slap his wrist, startling him.

"Speak when you're spoken to, Dead Last." Ken looked at the glaring Sasuku-chan on the other of edge of the table.

"Honey," Mikoto furrowed, "that wasn't necessary at all."

Sasuku merely grunted below her breath, mouthing the chopsticks' contents.

"I'm sorry. As you might have known, Sasuku can sometimes be a bit of a handful." Mikoto smiled sympathetically.

"I-It's fine." Ken nodded. "I s-shouldn't space o-out like that."

"That's okay, you must have a lot on your mind. It happens to the best of us."

"Heh, Ms. U-Uchiha's too n-n-n-n-n–"

Oh fuck it, not _now_!

He bit his tongue out of frustration, shutting his mouth and eyes in disbelief. C'mon! Get a grip already!

"What's the matter, Ken-kun?" Mikoto asked with worry.

"He has a speech impediment." Sasuku ate her food nonchalantly.

"Oh. I'm sorry about that. Take your time then."

Sakuri seemed surprised though. _'So that is why he keeps stuttering. He really is a yarn ball of annoying traits.'_

Ken nodded nervously. He made to stuff his mouth with the food he was blessed with, if only to have a reason to not speak up, since his nerves were going to kill him if he didn't calm down. But Ken missed his mouth, the food ending up staining his lap. "Ah!" He yelped, putting the bowl and chopsticks down and reaching frantically for a napkin. "S-S-Sorry, I-I-I did-d-didn't mean to m-m-mi-mi-mess."

"Oh, that's perfectly normal." She smiled reassuringly, though she was a bit concerned for his supposed nervousness. It was obvious that Ken-kun was, his shivering hands spoke the whole story. She told him there wasn't a need to be, but it seemed Ken-kun couldn't help himself.

Sakuri merely watched with boredom at how her temporary tutor practically flail like a fish out of water. Although, what her expression didn't speak of was her embarrassment. They knew of the baka being her 'teacher', so having to witness along with her family the culpability she held when choosing a clumsy tutor was just so humiliating. So much for impressing her clan with how liable her choices were in life. This would probably be another excuse for her to continue to have a damn Anbu over her shoulder.

"_Baka…" _Both Sakuri and Sasuku murmured distastefully.

This truly was going to be a _lllooonnnggg_ gathering indeed.

**-WWWWWWWWWWW-**

Knock, knock.

"Come in."

Sakura entered her sister's room, glancing around the place with an observant eye. She never had been in Mimiru's bedroom before, since she never wanted to before. Just witnessing the numerous drawings pasted across the blue walls made it feel like she was in the collage herself.

They all held the same theme, however. A childish doodle of what seemed to be a girl and a boy with hearts fluttering around them.

Wow.

Her sister was really obsessed with that guy.

"Hey, Onee-chan." Mimiru smiled from the floor, her stomach flat on the surface and art being morphed from her mind in front of her, i.e. her drawing. "Wanna draw with me?"

"Urm… no thanks." She approached the girl cautiously. She was squiggling another portrait of the same characters, her head slanting side-to-side rhythmically with her humming, feet kicking back and forth lively, just like her swaying tail.

The same aspect Sakura degraded to herself for so long, only recently having the audacity to orally express her distaste in it. But now, she didn't know how to feel about it anymore. The crayons scattered irregularly below her was actually a good exhibition on what she was feeling toward Mimiru right now. A variety of different emotions, each with their own individual tint.

"What… what are you drawing, Mimiru?" She started awkwardly.

"My love for my hubby." She lifted the sheet for all to see. That is, for her onee-chan. "Look, isn't he just the handsomest? I'm trying to draw our dream house right now."

Sakura looked at the 'art'. Just a circle with green strokes on top. But she supposed it was all about the symbolism, not how it looked. "Yeah… handsome…" She said, unsure of herself. Not because of the drawing, but mainly because of what to say to her.

Initially, Sakura thought Kenjo might have been doing inappropriate things to the girl when she stumbled on them in the alleyway.

"_N-No!"_

Was what she heard when looking worriedly for the little girl. Kenjo's voice had given their location away, and once she looked inside the claustrophobic passage, Sakura thought he was denying her escape with that word.

But he wasn't. That word was not defiance for Mimiru's safety, but for Mimiru's self-loathing. She heard everything else afterward. The moment moved her in a way that made her feel horrible about herself, if she hadn't been already, and relief to know that someone was at least looking out for her.

She only decided to search out of fear for her own well being once her mother found out. Now she wished she actually did care for Mimiru instead of herself. Sakura couldn't change the past, so she could at least apologize for her behavior.

The pink-haired kunoichi was surprised to hear Kenjo's point of view though. How he had also struggled to fit in due to being an outcast. So seeing the two grab each other's hand like that really was a magical moment between degraded individuals indeed.

Sakura sighed. All this thinking was giving her a migraine. "Look, Mimiru, about what happened yesterday."

The young girl halted in her song and activity, looking up and giving her onee-chan her full attention.

"What about it, Onee-chan?"

"I'm… sorry about what I said to you. I was being extremely immature by scolding you out like that. I just…" She sat down on the other side of the art facility, "before you came along, I was an only child. I got all the attention from mom and dad. But I never had a friend. I wanted a sibling to play with like all the other children I see outside, so once mom brought you in, I was actually glad for a while."

She smiled at the fond memory. The two liked each other the moment they laid eyes on one another, despite Mimiru only being three and innocent at the time. She was so happy. "But then, people made fun of me for having a 'weird' sister. I ignored them though, since you were more important to me, Mimiru." She looked at the girl, her silent yet sweet innocent smiling face stared back. "But then, I noticed how much attention you received from our parents and how little I was getting. I understood you needed the medicine, but I still viewed it as a quantity of gifts that I wasn't receiving myself. You had mom check up on you frequently, dad using most of his time at home playing with his 'princess'. I guess along the way, jealousy bloomed, and my love for you turned sour."

Sakura clutched her eyes tightly, trying her best not to break down. It wasn't working though. The irrational pain she felt and inflicted upon her step sister attempting to manifest through her eyes and graze through her boggled up throat.

Mimiru watched with a frown at how her onee-chan struggled to compose herself. "I k-know that's not a logical excuse for treating you so poorly, and I'm s-so sorry for making your life so difficult with it. I-I'm a shameful person for ever doing that in the first place, a-and an awful sister for using t-that story as coverage. I'm just… I'm so sorry. Please, I shouldn't be f-forgiven, but i-if you can find i-it in your heart to, then I would be so g-grateful…"

She sniffled, and sniffled, and sniffled, waiting for a response. What she got was a shock though.

Mimiru had stood up and embraced the weeping Haruno by the head. Sakura's eyes were so wide, Mimiru's chest might have been the only reason they hadn't popped out during that time. "There, there," Mimiru smiled reassuringly, a tear falling down her cheek, "it's okay, Mimiru forgives Onee-chan."

Sakura couldn't help it. She broke apart. She cried her throbbing heart out. She was being forgiven? How? Actually, she couldn't even begin to comprehend the actual situation, so it was impossible for her to think of a conclusion right now.

All she could do was sob.

And sob.

And sob.

**-WWWWWWWWWWW-**

"So Ken-kun, would you like to explain how a generous boy such as yourself ended up being my daughter's teacher?"

"Ahem, mother forgot 'temporary'." Sakuri stated calmly, formally chewing her food with a straightened back and closed eyelids.

Ken smiled at the question. That compliment was unnecessary, and yet really appeasing for his self-confidence. "I-I don't believe I deserve praise f-from such a-a kind woman like M-Ms. Uchiha, but I-I a-appreciate it nonetheless." He attempted to return the compliment, and hoped he succeeded. "H-Honestly, it wasn't I w-who found S-S-Saku-chan, she f-found me."

The young Uchiha wrinkled her nose at the depreciated usage of her name. Again with the damn 'chan'. He really had the audacity to use it in her clan's household. Did he really think she would be okay with it so long as her mother was around? Why that little…!

"I see," Mikoto said after a sip of tea, "so Sakuri asked you to take her under your wing?"

"Commanded." Sakuri took a sip of tea as well, annoyance behind her composed posture.

"Y-Yes, she did."

"How has it been? The lessons, that is."

"It's g-going well, actually." He smiled, looking at the girl. "Saku-chan is s-showing great p-potential in becom-i-ing a fine k-kunoichi. But I g-guess it i-is to be expected. She i-is an Uchiha a-after all."

"Oh, you flatter us, Ken-kun." Mikoto smiled genuinely.

'_Not one bit.'_ Both daughters thought simultaneously.

"I feel awful though," The woman appeared saddened, "knowing Sakuri had to resort to someone else instead of her own family. If only I wasn't so busy juggling two occupations at once." She sighed. "But I shouldn't use excuses. No amount of obstacles should be relevant in neglecting your own children."

"No, d-don't say that, Ms. Uchiha." He frowned at the self-degradation. "You're a-a single parent, i-it's only natural for y-you to a-aim for m-more labor h-hours. In f-fact, I think th-th-that only m-makes you an even more b-brilliant and c-c-caring mother."

"Oh my," She seemed surprised, a hand landing on her chest with a smile slowly forming, "Ken-kun, you're just too much. I didn't know you had such a way with words."

Ken chuckled. He was really relieved to see Ms. Uchiha on her feet again. For some reason, Ken really wanted the best for her. Not that he was spiteful for anyone that came his way, not even the haters on the street, but there was just something special about Ms. Uchiha that warmed him to a great extent once her mood was lifted up, like now for instance.

Sakuri just glared at the conversation.

Her mother seemed to enjoy Ken-kun's company, and it was understandable. What she couldn't understand though, was why Ken-kun was acting so… civil and polite whenever she was around him. She wasn't an idiot. She knew all about his outside reputation.

About how he was hated because of some odd reason.

One of the reasons she actually kept her personal life away from him was because of cautiousness. Cautiousness of his expected 'demonic' behavior. Again, she only decided to have him as guidance was because of the lack of options. She was desperate to get stronger as soon as possible. And if he did step out of line, her Anbu would be there to bail her out. At least, she expected the 'caretaker' to be enough. They were called Anbu for a reason, right?

But along the way, instead of receiving a repugnant performance from him, Sakuri got a bowl of confusing kindness to digest. She shrugged it off as just a luring factor from 'demons'. But then he just had to go and mention Hanabi. And instead of 'satanic' advantage over her, he took advantage with the same damn kind generosity. Offering to endure her pain instead of Sakuri doing it herself? Knowing how it felt to be an outcast.

That last one was probably true, but it didn't help strengthen her refusal with spite though. Her wall had been breaking then, and running away from his 'behavior' was the only way to keep her from opening up to the most hated boy in Konoha.

Now he was here, keeping up his kind façade. She wished that he would just stop it. It was built with infuriating confusion. Sakuri didn't know if she should still believe in the village's words anymore. Was it still just a ploy? Were they still expected to stay on their toes? Mother certainly didn't seem to be, and that just made it even more confusing. Especially when her emo sister didn't appear affected by the sheer joyful talk the 'monster' and their own ignorant mother were having.

It all just didn't add up, and didn't make any kami damn sense.

She just continued to ask questions.

He just continued to reply with compliment after compliment.

It was driving her crazy!

Thud!

Sakuri slammed her bowl down on the table and left.

"Sakuri!" Mikoto called out, but the youngster was already out of the doorway.

…

"Urm… excuse me, children." Mikoto tried to stand up, but halted by Ken's sudden declaration.

"N-No, I'll go c-check on her, Ms. U-Uchiha."

"Are you sure?"

"Hai. E-Excuse me." He stood and left the room through the same exit. Of course he was certain, since he felt like the reason for this entire attitude Sakuri had portrayed. He was allowed to think so, after all, Ken had noticed the hateful stare the girl had been giving him for a while. If he was the problem, then he felt like it was his responsibility to take action. Besides, this was Ms. Uchiha's day off, and although he was not able to stop the woman from making such an unbelievable feast, he could at least have her relax while he was around.

Sasuku merely took a sip of tea, apathetic of the whole situation. The girl was probably having another episode for attention. What a spoiled brat.

**-WWWWWWWWWWW-**

Damn it! Typical ninja sure are fast. He should know, he was on a team of them. It was unsurprising though. Just as her taijutsu displayed, Sakuri's speed and movement were on par with an actual Genin's. It was a wonder she was still in the Academy. Probably because of her lack of ninjutsu and aiming.

"Saku-c-chan!" He yelled, running with a cardiac arrest threatening to pull through.

"Stay away!"

"N-No! Not u-until you tell me w-w-what's *pant* w-wrong!"

A flying kunai almost personally said hi, if it weren't for his reflexes halting it though, swerving to the left just in time. Woah, that was a close one! Was she actually trying to kill him!? That barely missed his eye!

"Stop following me!" She jumped from tree to tree, Ken keeping track of her from below. It was moments like these that made him wish he had a literal spring in his step to compensate for his lack of chakra molding.

"F-First tell me!"

"NO!"

"Then I-I won't stop!"

"Why do you care so much!?"

"C-Cause you're h-hurt inside!"

"No I'm not!"

"Y-Yes you are!"

"If I am, then it's all your fault!"

"M-My fault?!" So he was right.

"Just leave me alone already!"

"W-What did I do!? P-Please tell me!"

"NO!"

Ken grimaced, dodging more incoming blades with as little movement as he could, if only to save the speed he had. _'Damn it! She's not going to listen to me. I gotta find a way to catch up!'_ The annoying pain in his tired legs slowly became more apparent. _'And fast.'_

But how though? He couldn't bank on Sakuri hitting fatigue before he could. She was jumping, not running, which needed more physical movement in the end. Maybe the only outcome right now was to give up and hope she comes around soon? No, he couldn't come back empty handed, especially not now. He had to catch up. He just got to. Or make her stop somehow…

Wait, that's it!

Ken took his needed equipment out of his holster. He kept running, occasionally dodging sharp objects in the process, and waited patiently for the right moment to strike. It was risky. It could hurt her, which was something Ken wished he wouldn't have to resort to, ever, but he had precision on his side. Or at least, he hoped so.

It was time to record whether his practice had paid off or not.

Too bad Saku-chan had to be his Guiney pig.

Aanndd… NOW!

He threw the paper bomb on the designated branch. It exploded, destroying the foreseeable stepping stone and surprising the girl.

She fell in the perfect desired position. Right in front of a tree's base. Ken threw one more time, his kunai catching her shirt right on the sleeve and hitting the bark.

She was trapped. Or at least, halted.

Before she could grasp the weapon however, Ken was in front of her, pinning her hands in place.

"Ah! Let go, you doofus!"

"No!" Ken said firmly, her legs injuring him frequently with it's flailing form.

"I swear, if you do _not_ let go this instant, you will be extremely sorry."

"If t-that is what it t-takes for y-you to tell m-me, then s-show be it."

Man, this kid! Why wouldn't he just leave her alone and drop the nice guy act already! It's working on her nerves to no end! She couldn't even have time to herself without being around a fake demeanor like this doofus'! Where was her Anbu when she needed her? She understood the woman leaves once Sakuri is in the presence of Mikoto or someone that was trusted. But why now out of all times?!

"Why do you care so much!?"

"I t-told you already."

"That's not a valid reason!" She growled, trying to break free of his hold. Damn her weakness! If only she were stronger!

_I'm sorry Sakuri, but I can't be your friend anymore._

Why was she not able to do anything right!

Her family neglected her. Strength turned away from her.

Hanabi left her.

"Noone cared before, everyone looked away, so why is someone like _you_ of all people not doing the same!?"

"B-Because y-you're my _student_!"

Her eyes shot open.

…Wha…?

He smiled warmly. "You're m-my student, Saku-c-chan. What k-kind of sensei d-does not care? I w-wouldn't be a s-sensei if I n-neglected you." He looked down in contemplation, then looked back up, determination burning in his eyes. "I-It's also what friends a-are for, r-right?"

Her heart skipped a beat.

That line…

"_Hi!" Hanabi sat next to her._

…that line…

"_Why…" Sakuri looked at the chattering female next to her._

_Look at her. Uchiha are such freaks. With their pitch black eyes. _

_Watch it dude, Uchiha are pretty strong._

"…_why are you being nice to me?"_

_I heard she's the sister of Sasuku Uchiha._

_Sasuku? The one that humiliated your big brother in a one on one matchup last semester?_

_Yeah, that bitch._

_All the more reason to hate 'em, am I right?_

…is the line…

_Hanabi smiled genuinely. "Why shouldn't I be?"_

…Hanabi…

"_It's what friends are for, right?"_

"I…" Sakuri trailed off, lost in a fond, yet apprehensive thought.

"Please…" He removed his hands, dispatching the kunai from the tree. "…let m-me fix w-what wrong I-I've done, okay?"

"I…" She looked down, still fuzzy in the head due to what he told her. "…everyone says you're a bad person, a _demon_, and yet, you don't act like one when I see you. Why is that? Why are you such a nice person if everybody else says otherwise?"

Ken frowned, understanding finally dawning on him. Her eyes were shadowed, which only proved how confused and frustrated she was from the whole thing. He understood, and yet, he couldn't understand it himself. The green Genin couldn't understand why they viewed him as such an evil person. As far as he was concerned, he hadn't done anything unlawfully. Maybe snatch a rope or two, and got caught 'kidnapping' a young Mimiru, and possibly disrespecting the Hokage, but other than that, he should be considered clean, right? Those things shouldn't even be considered 'demonic', as they had put it, right? Right?

He just ignored it the entire time, or at least attempted to. Now he was confronted with the choice of elaborating something he had no idea himself.

"I… I r-really don't know, Saku-chan."

She stayed silent, but her attention hadn't wavered.

"I wish… I w-wish I had a b-better answer, b-but I don't. I n-never really thought a-about it t-too much. E-Everyone i-is different, a-after all."

"Yet, they all have the same opinion about you." She muttered.

"I…" He trailed off, lost for words. "If I h-had to guess, I p-probably did s-something I can't r-remember as a ch-ch-child. But if t-that truly is t-the case, then i-it certainly w-won't happen again. I-I've changed." He placed a hand on his chest for emphasis.

She continued to stare, though her eyes had came out of hiding. They took shelter on his face. It felt to Ken as if he was being examined for compulsory access. Just a tad off, and he would fail. But he wasn't really worried about that. He was being truthful, he knew it from the bottom of his fractured heart. He only hoped that she saw what he felt deep inside.

"I…" She took a moment to resume, "I believe you."

He smiled brightly. He was glad she believed him.

Sakuri wasn't lying. She couldn't find any faultiness in his statement or expression. He was telling the truth on his end, and she knew it. His actions were backing him up. But despite this, the girl continued to frown, obviously still troubled.

His smile dithered, a bit confused by this. There was still something on her mind. Something other than his status. He wished he knew, but wishing could only take you that far. So he decided to look it through her perspective instead of his own.

'_If I were a cute stubborn Uchiha, what would be on my mind? Well, I certainly had a problem with this talentless Genin, but somehow I ended up being taught by him. To become what though? Stronger? For what? Was it because of how dissatisfied I am with my abilities? But I'm probably the strongest in class though… Oh, wait a second. Iruka-sensei told me about how she was bullied, and how Hanabi was so hesitant to join in.'_

Soon, his mind came to the sudden conclusion that he once again struck a nerve in the young prodigy. Her eyes widened even further when he told her he was her friend. That must have been it.

"Hey."

She slowly looked up at him. He smiled.

"Let's g-get you stronger so y-you can teach t-those bullies a lesson." He gave a small reassuring fist-pump to the air. "And s-show Hana-chan w-what a b-big mis-t-take she m-made when s-she ditched y-you."

Sakuri's eyes widened once more, shocked at the sudden revelation. "I… how…?"

"I said i-it before, didn't I?" He gave a big wide grin. "I sh-should know these t-things, o-otherwise I w-wouldn't be much of a f-friend, right?"

She kept observing him, like he was a mad man. But then, as if a miracle had happened, the girl giggled.

_GIGGLED!_

It was such a cute, satisfying laughter, one he would remember happening for the rest of his life.

"Yeah… I guess you're right." She smiled sweetly. Not a noticeable debris of her wall was left. The thing what she assumed kept her safe from the harsh reality of the living had completely vanished without a trace. She was glad though. Sakuri was glad this kid– no, this idol she finally viewed had broken through her façade.

It was only a minute ago, and yet, she couldn't even remember why she disliked him in the first place. What was there to hate about him? He was too of a perfect gentleman to ever be hated. Ken was right, the villagers were just a bunch of silly people. She betted they didn't even know what was left to right. But he didn't care about their opinion, so neither would Sakuri.

After all, she had Ken on her side.

"Now t-then," He turned, gesturing her to follow, "shall we get g-going, Saku-chan?"

She nodded with a genuine smile, hurrying to his side with a joyful spring to her step. "Yes, we shall, _Kennii-sensei_."

**-WWWWWWWWWWW-**

**End of Chapter**

**Phew! Over Nine and a quarter words! The most in one chapter so far. Hopefully it'll be longer for your enjoyment, or shorter if that is what you prefer.**

**Anyway, thank you all so much for reading, reviewing, favoring, following, all of those good stuff, and I'll see ya in the next update.**

**-Narurific-**


	7. Battle of the Fittest

**Chapter 07**

**Battle of the Fittest**

**-WWWWWWWW-**

_Have you ever felt depression?_

_Not just any depression, a miserable void of solitude?_

_Not just any solitude, an empty shade of solitude that told you it was okay to kill yourself?_

_And you had no willpower to object?_

_Well, that was what a young little boy felt._

_The catch was that it was not a once-off, but a constant feeling. It was as if the child was trapped in prison bar-like fingers, suffocating in a dark annulled palm that would never open ever again._

_Why would it? It had what it wanted. Kenjo being in it's grasp for eternity._

_But that was what he deserved, no?_

_That was what 'monsters' deserved._

_But somehow he was running away from his punishment instead of embracing it._

_Looking back, a collection of torches burning inside drunken eyes stared back at him, racing for their goal._

_Him._

_The villagers were determined to put him in his corner._

_Tayamaru was determined to stay away from the walls in general._

_But would he succeed, was the question. He had tiny, fragile legs that felt like it would give in any moment. They had 'muscular' calves that seemed like it could endure any fatigue that comes their way._

_It was inevitable, his watering eyes knew that. But he failed to consider his miraculous advantage. Just like every other thing he failed to do._

Ms. Takaru, why is that boy all alone in the corner?

Is he being punished, Ms. Orphan Lady?

_He lost them, but he failed to acknowledge that. His heart was too much in a vivid beating contest with his breathing to give him time to think clearly though._

Yes, he is, darling.

What did he do wrong?

_He fell down, scraping his skin against the ground of some forest he had no idea of._

Everything…

_Ken lifted his tear stained face, the dizziness and pain from earlier becoming more apparent now that his high of fear had dispersed._

…including being _alive_.

_Feet met his vision, but he was too tired to even identify the stranger._

_Then, there was darkness, and the toddler was out cold._

-WWWWWWWW-

"_Phew," _Ken sighed. Man, did his respect for domestic workers rise like the current morning sun… Again with his weak similes. In any case, the young Genin hoped that this unpaid labor would end soon. He didn't like dishing out other people's dirty work, but he supposed this was what he gets for 'kidnapping' an innocent little girl.

Cleaning the roofs of the haters in the middle of a Friday morning. But he guessed it could have been worse. I mean, kidnapping is no joke, and should probably have more vital consequences than sparkling a fragment of Konohagakure's rooftops. But that didn't make Ken feel any better though.

He supposed that his lack of a vital sentence might have been the cause of his 'importance', or at least he thought it was.

Importance, that was his expected link to the Hokage.

The link, being the ominous ritual-like circle engraved upon his backside.

_All you need to know is it's for the best._

The Hokage's voice rung through his head like an annoying alarm clock. Ken couldn't help but think there was more to the seal than just the supposed best interest for something, or someone. Why wouldn't he? Seals never meant a thumbs up for the displacement, which was unfortunately him.

Ken couldn't believe it though. He knew he had no right, so to speak, in displaying such anger for the old man, especially in his face, but surprisingly, Ken ended up growing a temporary backbone back then. He didn't know where it came from, but it sure was exhilarating, and also highly reckless, to speak to the leader of an entire village like that. If only he could display such brilliant bravery during battle though.

His warning for such attitude was a shocker if nothing else. I mean, could the man not slaughter Ken right where he stood? Why let him go, and with only a verbal lecture? Man, was he a lucky bastard or what? His age might have had something to do with his untouched self as an aftermath, or it could have been the Hokage's calm demeanor. Either way, was Ken thankful for his survival from the old, yet powerful man's wrath.

Or maybe… it had something to do with his seal?

But he figured he was way off cause. Was he not cerebrating on his punishment for kidnapping someone a minute ago?

Meh. At least this was a good enough workout for his muscles, right? Kami knows he needed the extra helping hand for what he planned to become. He just hoped that he would be finish before evening at least.

After all, Ken was the official sensei for a very esteemed prodigy, and _that_ was something he should really be lucky and proud of.

His expression projected a small smile for his inner huge grin. He wondered what Saku-chan was doing right now?

-WWWWWWWW-

"What do you mean Ken is paying his penalty?!" Naruko furrowed confusingly at her sensei.

"He's cleaning some roofs as punishment for kidnapping a civilian a few days ago." He said with his usual lazy eye.

"Heh," Sasuku actually chuckled, "I knew he was weird, but I never took Dead Last for an abductor before."

"He's not!" Naruko snapped with an abnormal venom in her eyes. "It's got to be a mistake!"

"I know what you mean, Naruko-chan." Kakashi sighed. "I too believe it isn't the full story, but even still, there had been multiple eye witnesses, and all of them said otherwise."

"They're lying!" Naruko swiped a hand emotionally. "I know they are! My Ken would never do something like that, EVER!"

"Your Ken?" Sasuku raised an eyebrow. "Is he not his own person?"

"I…" A bright blush painted her peach skin as she flailed with her words. "That's… he is. W-What I meant was… he's, he's my friend, alright! That's what I meant, teme! But I guess someone like you wouldn't understand a tight bond like ours."

"And I'd rather stay blind to it."

Tsk-ing to her side, Naruko raised her nose objectifyingly. "Typical coming from you."

"Calm down, you two." Kakashi raised his hands nervously. "Let's just put it behind us and get to the Training Ground, eh?"

"Sure…" Naruko glared at the girl near her. "Let's, so I can challenge her to a no holds barred match."

Sasuku blinked apathetically. "Fine by me. Just remember, once you wake up in the hospital, if you even will, this was all your idea, not mine."

"Naruko-chan…" Kakashi seemed surprised, but there was mostly uncertainty in his eyes.

The blonde only stomped her way to the gates impatiently. _'I'll teach you not to disrespect my Ken like that.'_

-WWWWWWWW-

"Bye bye, Onee-chan!"

Sakura smiled affectionately at the cheering minor a ways from her. "Yeah, bye."

"Have a nice day with your team!"

"Yeah, I will."

"I love you!"

Sakura stopped in her tracks and looked behind her. Her expression told the little girl that her onee-chan was taken aback by the sudden statement, but a warm grin pasted itself right back on the Genin's face soon after. "I… I love you too, Mimiru."

A face splitting smile was the last thing the pink-haired kunoichi saw before she turned a corner.

That small rascal truly was a strange, yet lovable person. She couldn't even fathom the actuality of her hating the once Orphaned child, despite it being only a day ago. Sakura was really fortunate to have such a adoring pre-adolescent as a sister.

But one thing still troubled her to no end, and no, it wasn't because of her 'abnormal' features attached to her head and behind. Honestly, she couldn't even care less whether she had it or not. It didn't change who Mimiru was on the inside. No, what really had her mind in a jam, or so it appeared, was her 'intimacy' for Kenjo.

Sure, it could just be puppy love, a temporary crush that filled in a gap for the girl's completion until she really fell in love. But Sakura couldn't help but feel apprehensive of the whole idea, especially when the girl's crush was a much older boy who could or had already hit puberty, which could possibly mean bad news bears for the minor.

She doubted a fragile person such as Kenjo would ever consider inappropriate acts with Mimiru. The hardships she heard he went through made him seem like an innocent and lost puppy, looking for their owner, or at least a place they could fit in, and was proof of his non-sexual appetite. Not to mention her previous accusation of him being a molester right off the bat was completely fictional, right down to the bone. These facts should overlap his reproachful uncleanliness to the brim, right? So Sakura shouldn't be worried about anything.

Truth was, she really wished she was in that circle, but unfortunately, she wasn't. Her mind couldn't help but think of the awful possibilities that would lead to Mimiru's ill-fated destruction. Especially if you considered that her unconditional love might possibly be unrequited.

That by itself should be enough reason for Mimiru to save her the inconvenience before it was too late.

But alas, the tail wielding minor didn't seem like she might come to terms with those facts anytime soon, and that really worried Sakura as well. But it wasn't as if the kunoichi could just approach her sister and deny her of her supposed 'future husband'. It wasn't her say to begin with either. It would probably be a bad decision on her end if she truly decided to go through with it.

There was no telling how Mimiru would react. On the off chance that the girl didn't scowl Sakura out for her inconsiderate behavior for the young female's feeling, with their recently mended relationship crumbling once more, and actually listened intensively with open, welcoming ears, Mimiru might still end up depressed with the now empty gap she filled with her love for the male Genin.

She might lose her liveliness Sakura had grown accustom to, and that was perhaps the most awful outcome of this complicated situation.

If only she had someone else's opinion. Could she ask for Naori? The girl was a loose cannon that's for sure, but maybe she had some convenient sentiments on such a dilemma.

Or maybe Yamanaka Ino? Nah. That girl was a pain in the ass, a real annoyance if she might add. Once a friend, yes, but again, jealousy uttered out of her heart once Sakura found out the 'blonde princess' had everything the young Haruno didn't.

Including a sister…

Cue the pleading memory of Sakura begging for her own.

She sighed. Her leaf really needed to turn over for the better. Hopefully her crybaby session yesterday really helped her with her inner priorities, if it didn't already receive during the uplifting moment of Mimiru and her 'handsome hubby'.

"Hey there, Sakura." The girl in question flinched from the sudden interlude. Naori smiled next to her, seeming to appear out of the blue. That might have been the case, if one were to stay introverted in their mind as how Sakura was just then. She smiled at her blue haired friend.

"Hey, Naori."

"Everything okay?" The bright kunoichi asked with a cocked eyebrow. "You appeared to be in your own little world just now."

"Oh, it's nothing."

"What were you thinking about?"

"I said it's nothing important, Naori."

"Is a certain guy on your mind?"

Sakura's eyes bulged a bit, her friend's accuracy somewhat on par, though it could have been just Naori's affectionate side suddenly speaking again. It wouldn't be the first time she was asked this from her female companion, and it would definitely not be the last. Naori was always so infatuated with one's romantic life for some reason. But that was just how the girl was; carefree and friendly. Sakura was kind of glad she was placed on Team Nine with a person like Naori, even if she could be a bit clingy and vexatious.

But she knew there was no such thing as perfection, only a perfect version of yourself.

"Well, I…"

"So it is." Naori's smile widened exponentially. "Who is the lucky guy then?"

"It's nothing like that." She scratched her cheek.

"You sure? Your cheeks are a bit tinted though."

"W-Wha…?" She felt her face. It was. Wait, why was she blushing? Was it because of embarrassment? It had to be. There was no other logical explanation for it. "I… I'm just not comfortable speaking about this subject, that's all."

"Oh?" She kept her smile going. "So you don't trust me enough to share your crush?"

"N-No, I told you before, it's not like that!"

"Then what were you thinking about?"

"I… I was just thinking about Mimiru, that's all."

"You have a sister complex then." She concluded curiously.

"What? No! Stop being weird, Naori. Why would I like my own sister in that way?"

"But you said–"

"It's about her crush, okay?"

"Oh, you mean Ken-kun?" Naori's smile was completely gone in an instant.

"Yeah…"

"What about him?"

"I… well, I was just thinking of how wrong and illogical it is. I mean, she likes a twelve-to-thirteen year old guy, and she's only eight! Isn't that just too excessive? Especially if Kenjo might not even like her back?"

Naori merely hummed in understanding, looking in the direction they were walking in.

"And because of that, I don't think this whole predicament will end with her being on the edge of happiness. She'll be heart-broken, and that's what I want her to avoid. She's too young to have her innocence destroyed like that."

"But you know she wouldn't listen to you if you were to sit down and have a meaningful conversation about this situation."

"Yeah, exactly." Sakura was a bit surprised by the spot-on assumption, but it should have been expected from someone who seemed to have love on her mind constantly, well, at least when she was around her. I mean, like Sakura said before, Naori wouldn't shut up about who the young Haruno was having the hearts for, which she didn't.

"Well either way, she would end up heart-broken. I doubt Ken-kun is into little girls. So you have a responsibility on your hands as the older sibling here. Either you break her heart early, or watch by the sidelines how depress she would be when her love is shoved right down her throat."

"Yeah, I… wait, don't you think that sounds a bit harsh?"

"I'm just saying what I expect would happen." Naori shrugged nonchalantly, not making eye contact with Sakura since Ken-kun's name was mentioned.

Sakura opened her mouth, but closed it a moment later. Naori was probably saying it in that way to force her hand before something bad really happened. If that were to be the case, then it certainly was working. Hopefully it didn't have an ulterior layer below it.

Oh, or was she thinking, of course there wasn't. This was Naori she was speaking about. The blue haired girl wouldn't hurt a fly, unless it threatened the people and things that were close to her. She was just your typical Leaf kunoichi, standing firm as a heroine should. Being cold hearted to a little innocent girl like Mimiru wasn't in her curriculum, and would never be, right? The closest temperature she would decrease to would be the frozen truth level and never lower than that.

Sakura should know this. They were close teammates after all, not to mention close friends, despite it only being barely a month of bonding.

"Yeah, I guess you have a point. I'll see what I can do." Sakura looked forward in thought, while Naori smirked below the pink kunoichi's radar.

'_You better succeed, and soon, unless you really want to witness a decapitated version of that little shit of yours.'_

-WWWWWWWW-

"Are you sure you want to do this, Naruko-chan?"

"Of course." She glared at her sensei, an offended aura escaping her being. _'What sane person wouldn't stand up for their best friend? It's only natural. If I didn't, then I have no right whatsoever to call myself Ken's BFF. NO DAMN RIGHT!'_

Kakashi sighed. Well, he guessed he could amuse them by allowing this fight to commence. But he would be damned before he would witness any serious repercussions to flare. He was the sensei of Team Seven, which meant he was predicted to nurture and raise the young ninja into prominent figures. Not to watch idly as they rip each other to shreds.

Their enemies were supposed to fit in that circumstance, figuratively of course.

"And don't you _dare_ try to stop this, Kakashi-sensei." Naruko warned with venom in her usually bright and friendly cerulean eyes. "Or I'll view you as a culprit as well, and trust me, that's the last thing you want to be right now."

The man raised an eyebrow at this. _'What's going on with my students nowadays? First, Ken-kun hides himself in his thoughts, and now Naruko-chan is becoming really antagonistic. *Sigh* I really was given the perfect pupils to treat, huh?'_

"You ready, teme?!" Naruko furrowed toward her opponent.

"Yeah, whatever." She took her Uchiha stance, her bored expression turning into one of seriousness. "Just don't blame me when all of this backfires on you."

Naruko's glare deepened. _'I'll teach you to not mess with my Ken ever again!'_

In a flash, the blonde raced forth, forming the necessary signs as quickly and accurately as possible. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

In a puff of smoke, more figures appeared, mirroring the original and attacking forcefully.

Sasuku blocked each attack with ease, but ducked when a leg came out of nowhere. She swooped her leg against the feet of the nearest, tripping them, then efficiently grabbed and threw them against another, dispersing both.

What the Uchiha didn't notice however was a presence appearing behind her, swinging their fist for a blow. Barely dodging it, Sasuku gut-punched the clone, but was instead met with a detonating paper bomb before their demise.

Luckily, she jumped in the air just in time for some space. But she regretted it once kunai and shuriken flew toward her, forcing her to think fast. Unfortunately, her thinking wasn't fast enough, as object after object frequently slitting her clothing and skin over and over again. She groaned at the sudden stings through her body, but realized she was literally falling in an Uzumaki surface.

Grunting, the Uchiha reacted in response, forming sign after sign before proclaiming her technique.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"

What was expected to be the fireball ability Kakashi had seen before, a spread of little flares took it's place. Unsurprisingly, it only dispersed one or two of the clones, a few threats still standing tall and waiting.

'_Damn it!'_

Before the Uchiha got to the ground however, a bunch of clones jumped toward her and gave her a handicap she struggled to keep up with. Fists flew and kicks swung, and after the air battle ended, Sasuku jumped back in apprehension, a glaring face welcoming Naruko's vision.

'_I'm still not capable of using that jutsu yet!'_

In less than a second, a Naruko clone was behind her once more, and before the Uchiha could react, the blonde struck him with enough force in her foot that it sent the young prodigy over to the other bunch of clones, who threw weapon after weapon, keeping the flying Sasuku busy.

It was very effective, since Sasuku had no choice but to take the next taijutsu straight to the face with welcoming arms.

What was expected to be a pained Uchiha, a log was the only thing Naruko received, along with a surprised look from herself.

"W-Wha…?"

Kunai after kunai struck the ground in front of them, revealing tags all around.

Paper bombs!

Ah, crap!

With an explosive eruption, each clone in that supposed circle met a cruel fate, with the original flying out of the huge cloud of dark smoke, temporary unconscious.

Temporary, since Sasuku shunshin'd out of nowhere and gave Naruko a powerful back heel right in her vulnerable face, earning an uncomfortable cry from the blond, and sending her straight to the grassy ground.

The Uchiha landed a ways from the recent ball of smoke, watching carefully as the pigtail 'idiot' stood up with a shaky form.

A spatter of blood painted her peach face in an irregular shape of art, the red source flowing slowly from her skew nose.

Naruko reached up, and with a satisfyingly echoing, yet grotesque crack, her nose was back in place.

The lone clone from before hurried to her side, a bit concerned for the original.

But despite the bloody canvas of a face she had, Naruko smirked, eyeing Sasuku-teme all the while.

"I see you actually have some spunk in that emo ass of yours, definitely different from your weak sparring persona."

"You're the one to talk." She said, still holding onto her serious expression. "I'm surprised you're still standing. But I suppose that's expected, since I'm really not going all out on you."

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing to you."

Sasuku glared at this. "Then I guess I'll just have to end this before I fall asleep with boredom."

Naruko's smirk widened. "Try it why don'chya, you emo bastard. Just be ready to feel disappointed in the end."

They kept staring at each other, the obvious beef between the two practically scorching all over the battlefield. They really hated each other's guts, Kakashi knew that, but never would he have ever imagined the hatred being so great. It was sickening, actually, for teammates to despise each other so much. Was the past few weeks not a learning experience at all, and only stepping stones to something even more awful than their hatred for one another? What were they– what was _he_ teaching them, then? Could they not just get along already as a team? Was it _that_ difficult?

Damn it! He knew no one was perfect, hence no team had the best batch of companions. But really now, this was just ridiculous! They were like small children fighting over a single toy. Even he and Obito knew once upon a time what lines were not supposed to be crossed.

Was this what they expected to live with for the rest of their Team Seven lives? This was just blasphemous! He should stop them right now before things really got out of hand, if they hadn't already, and lecture their asses off so much that their ears would have no choice but to finally open up.

But for some strange reason, Kakashi allowed this 'sparring session' of theirs to continue like it had no serious consequences at the end of the line whatsoever. He didn't know why he stood there idly by. Maybe it was because it was the only way they could empty their frustration for each other. He had no idea, but one thing was for certain…

Someone was going to lose eventually, and that included himself as well.

-WWWWWWWW-

"You missed a spot."

Ken groaned. My Kami! If there was one thing Ken found annoying in the entire world, it would be the watchful person currently near his presence. I mean, the boy betted that if anyone personally met Mitarashi Anko, they would definitely find her repulsively indigestible, her attitude, that is.

"Again, you missed a spot."

He groaned louder. "I k-know that, Anko-s-sama." He tried to sound respectful, but with his actual tone and previous grunting, there was no mistaking it, especially for Anko-sama. He didn't like her very much.

"Well, you certainly act as if you're oblivious to it, kid."

"I'm n-not."

"Sure," She rolled her eyes, arms folded comfortably below her breasts, "whatever floats your boat."

"Not t-t-to be rude or a-anything, but why a-are you spectating m-me?" Ken gave her a glance. "I mean, i-it's not l-like I w-will run a-a-away from my punishment o-or anything. And I definitely w-wouldn't be slacking off, s-since I want to get d-d-done with this as f-fast as p-possible."

"You mean aside from the fact that you might be lying about being responsible? Oh, no particular reason, just doing what I was told, since I was inconveniently one of the only available Jounin. If you're really in a hurry to leave though, then I suggest you stop blabbering and pick up the pace."

Ken sighed, but complied. Well, mostly. He didn't stop speaking though, as 'surprising' as it might be. "So… h-how does it feel? Being a Jounin, t-that is."

Anko raised an eyebrow. Well, this was definitely a random topic. The kid probably wanted to communicate with her, if only to repress the awkwardness in the air. Somehow though, she found herself going with his wishes. "It's fine, I guess."

"Fine?" He sounded genuinely surprised. "I-Isn't it praiseworthy th-though? Having t-to be one o-of the h-highest ranking ninja r-right below Kage?"

She actually chuckled at this. "It's not special how you make it out to be, kid."

"Really? W-Well, I surely v-view you guys as such."

She chuckled again. Man, this kid and his irrational sense of behavior. "You're wasting your commendation if that were true."

"I don't believe I-I am." He shook his head, a smile painting his face. "I think y-you guys really d-deserve more c-credit than you actually r-receive. I mean, I d-doubt this village w-would prosper if we never h-had reliable J-Jounin in the first place. Do y-you?"

Anko smirked. "Well said, kid, well said."

His smile widened, before he continued to progress through his punishment.

"I'm curious though," Anko found herself saying after a moment of silence, "you seem like a good hearted kid, and yet you're up here, cleaning rooftops as a penalty. Why is that?"

She was truly inquisitive though, especially if she was specifically referring to _him_. The one with the bad reputation because of a single, yet damaging incident. Through all of her years of living, this kid right in front of her was the last thing she would ever expect to be 'reality', as in his attitude. It didn't fit a hated person's persona, so it was thoroughly confusing. She knew the treatment he received, everyone probably knew, even the bystanders. Despite this, despite going through such troubles, along with a certain blonde, both of the most hated people in Konohagakure were still going strong, still bright and full of untainted life.

It could just be a façade they put up when around others, a sinister motive lurking behind their apparent sweet and friendly smiles, like how this kid was displaying right now. Which was probably why everyone still treated them poorly regardless of their good-willed nature in front of their 'expected' deviousness.

But she doubted it though. Naruko– Anko believed the brat's name was– was viewed as the Kyuubi despite her being only the vessel and nothing more. Kenjo was a different story, one she really didn't feel like recapping due to… uncomfortable reasons. It was because of this very cause that he was hated even more than the blonde brat.

That was without a doubt the troubling controversy Konoha ever had. Having him live amongst them like nothing happened, as if he was just a smudge away from pouncing on them like the expected blonde was. Kami only knew how the Hokage got this right. Maybe it wasn't a unanimous decision, and was simply his own. But she supposed the seal the Fourth Hokage captivated upon the kid should have been enough of a incentive to let bygones be bygones. Which was why she really didn't feel any spite for the child, and was honestly apathetic if nothing else.

If only everyone felt the same way. It wasn't as if he could do any decisive harm, right? Especially in his current state. So having Kenjo be punished for once, as far she was concerned, was probably a forceful decision on the Hokage's part rather than a fairly lawful one.

"I…" Ken trailed off, not sure whether to tell her or not. Would she even believe him if he told her his side of the story? Probably not. It wasn't as if they knew each other long enough to be fateful. It was, what, two, three hours of professional work from both of them and nothing more, only recently conversing freely. He tried to view anyone as a friend, as much as they would allow him to of course, but Anko-sama was an adult with standards. It would take some work and encouragement to even have her consider a child like him more of an acquaintance. Besides, no one ever believed him, much less took his side.

All that aside, keeping such information that would eventually reach every higher-ups' ears was futile if nothing else.

"I-I am s-sentenced for k-k-kidnapping a minor."

"Kidnapping?" She raised an eyebrow. The word's meaning and motivation would have been a good fit for the kid. _Would have been_. She didn't know if it was her unusual optimism for the youngster, or something else, but Anko definitely expected the sentence to be falsely accused. "Is that what you really did?"

"N-No, I…" He sighed, stopping his scrubbing. Would she even consider his opinion?

"Go on." She insisted, an unreadable calmness radiating from her eyes.

"…I n-never meant f-for people to t-think like that." He looked down shamefully. "We just s-sort of bumped i-into each other by c-chance. She f-fainted afterward, so I e-ended up carrying her. I j-just couldn't l-leave her like that, l-like I don't e-even care about h-her vulner-a-able state. To b-be open f-for any a-attack, physical o-or v-verbal. I of all p-people should k-know how it f-feels to be i-i-in that p-predicament."

Anko watched carefully how downcast he appeared to be, a sense of guilt washing over her due to starting all of this reminiscence in the first place. A long growing silence appeared, and kept it's presence known until Ken turned toward her, head still tilted down, but the kunoichi could make out a wide smile amidst his hidden features.

"B-But I guess it's m-my fault for e-expecting them t-to let i-it be. After a-all, I'm the monster o-of Konoha, right?"

The Jounin frowned. "Why are you smiling about that? Does being viewed as such really that enjoyable…" She trailed off, her eyes widening when a droplet fell on the surface of the roof, his shoulders shivering.

Was he… was he crying?

"A-A-A-Are w-w-we not s-suppose t-to b-b-be grate-f-ful f-for wh-what o-o-others g-give us t-then? B-Besides…" He sniffed, wiping his face with his sleeve. Anko couldn't believe what she was seeing once he finally looked up. Tear stains were practically a second skin for his cheeks, eyes dampened by the red and puffiness they held onto. But that was secondary. What really got her attention was Kenjo's odd smile that was now in plain view, wide and… _lively?_ "…a-a-at l-least they a-acknowledge me a-as something o-o-other than nothing, r-right?"

Her mouth hung open, but words were not coming out. She was technically speechless at what was being viewed in front of her. She didn't know whether she should attempt to comfort the Genin or just let him have his moment to himself. Truthfully, Anko wasn't very good with emotions, or interacting outside of her professional field, even if she appeared to be. Being trained alone in the wilderness could have you end up in the same quandary as her after all.

"Kid…"

"_W-Where's mo-mo-mo-mommy?" A young girl hiccupped, trying her best to wipe her eyes dry, but it kept watering irritatingly._

"_Your mom doesn't care about you, little one." A slithering smile crept on his pale skin. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of you."_

"I-It's fine, A-A-Anko-sama." He wiped the last of his tears, his eyes still glistening with pain. "L-Let I j-just finish this l-l-last batch of r-roofs so b-both of u-us can get o-o-on with o-our lives, eh?" He couldn't believe it. He never cried in front of anyone other than Naruko before. Was he really losing his mind? Was the pressure on his shoulders finally getting too heavy for him? He refused to give in though. He needed to keep myself from falling as long as possible. He didn't know if he could keep on until he died, or even end the day without fully breaking down like Sakuri's resisting wall. All Ken knew was that he needed to keep it going, if not for himself…

…then for her.

For Naruko.

Anko frowned deeply, unable to think of anything else but that wide fake smile he gave her. It was really abnormal to display such a face when you were truly in such immense pain. But he did it, and now he was scrubbing with even more vigor, as if the moment he had wasn't depressing, but uplifting for some weird and indescribable reason.

All the while, Ken kept smiling, a constant smirk that she couldn't even tell was fake or true anymore, despite it being the same wide smile from before.

'_This kid…'_

-WWWWWWWW-

Kakashi was proud. Proud of his students, even if they were in such a situation. They certainly were not on top of the food chain, not by a long shot, but they showed that they were making progress nonetheless.

Both sides were huffing for air, almost completely out of chakra to even stand with their wobbly legs. They really displayed no signs of backing out of this fight before the other one would. That determination was a good thing, but was being misused right now. They shouldn't be doing this to each other. What were they trying to prove anyway? What did Naruko tried to prove when she challenged the Uchiha into a no-holds-barred match? It started with Ken-kun, right?

It had to have been. It made sense if it did. Ken-kun was apparently the blonde's best friend, and with the 'insult' Sasuku uttered this morning, the copy ninja guessed a vein popped inside of Naruko, one that wasn't suppose to burst.

Now the two Genin were panting, scratches on their young skin being proof of their careless decision as teammates.

'_Even when he's not around, Ken-kun still finds a way to be the center of attention.' _The Jounin sighed, an amused smile creeping onto his covered lips.

"Just give up, teme." Naruko huffed. "My next strike *pant* will certainly wipe your *pant* tired ass out."

"That is, if you can even *pant* muster the chakra to do so, you idiot." Sasuku panted. "You don't get it, huh?"

"Get what?" The blonde squinted with suspicion.

"That I'm an Uchiha." She smirked arrogantly. "No matter what you do to deny it, an Uzumaki, or anyone for that matter, will never be able to beat an Uchiha."

"Oh yeah?" Naruko smirked, executing a string of signs in front of herself. "Then I'll be the first to defeat one. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

"Again with that move? You're so predictable, you idiot." Doing her own collection of signs, Sasuku aimed for the sky. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"

As before, an array of multiple flaring heat spewed out of her mouth, fighting against gravity as best as they could.

All of the clones looked up, their bodies figuratively balancing on their toes as they stared with confusion.

In an instant, Sasuku appeared in front of all of them, nailing one with a furious punch and drop kicking another, throwing a kunai at a third in the process.

Naruko growled and attempted to take her opponent out, but as soon as contact was made, Sasuku turned into a log just like before.

"Kawarimi no Jutsu?!" Once agnization hit her, the blonde desperately tried to find the Uchiha in time, but was instead met with a punch to the gut, paralyzing her with pain. With a roundhouse to the side of her head, Naruko was sent spiraling in midair, only to meet another attack from a recently Shunshin'd Sasuku, being beaten right in her bloody face, causing her presence to dance uncontrollably until she slid in the ground, a soil trail meeting her damaged body from afar.

Sasuku panted once more, physically relieved that she got a chance to take a break from beating up the Uzumaki.

Though in hindsight, she regretted nothing. After all, it was hell of a lot of fun using her teammate as a punching bag to go all out on, albeit it was only for this one juncture.

"Had enough?" Sasuku gave her best arrogant smirk she could muster in her current breathless state, Kakashi looking on with a concerned expression. They didn't hear any response, a thick sense of victory taking over the Uchiha's internal organs.

She guessed that was it. It was expected though, there was only one outcome when this brawl was announced. It should've been apparent to her blonde teammate. Maybe it was, and the idiot just wanted to taste an Uchiha knuckle sandwich with no ingredients being held back. If the girl had asked nicely, then Sasuku could've given it to her without them going through this long and pointless bout. Unless that blonde bimbo actually thought she could win.

Hah! That was really funny. Well, served the idiot right for underestimating Uchiha Sasuku. Now that it was finished, the black-eyed girl could finally sit back and–

Wait, was that movement she saw just then?

What in the–

Wait, the blonde idiot was actually moving. But how? Not just that, she was _standing up?!_ This didn't make any sense! Sasuku was sure that she gave enough power in that last attack to even dislocate a jaw for life! How was she…

"How are you… still standing up after that? Just stay down already!"

"Y-Y-You don't g-get it, huh?" She mimicked Sasuku's previous query, her voice was faint, especially from this distance, but both of them heard her clearly, despite her stuttering.

"What don't I get?" She found herself asking.

"Ken's my _best friend_. There's n-no way I'll give up… no matter what. T-That's my _Ninja Way_…" She forced her gaze to meet the teme's, a fiery, yet painful glint sparking in her eyes Sasuku never saw before. It was probably there earlier, she noted, but now it was obvious as daylight. It's intensity somehow sent a shiver of fear down the Uchiha's spine, something that the idiot never gave her in the past. Was this really the same blonde from before? "…to never give up for myself, and _definitely _not for Ken!"

"You're… a freak."

Naruko smirked, catching onto the words despite it being murmured softly. "If fighting for the ones you hold dear to your heart means that you're a freak, then yeah… I guess I am the biggest freakin' freak on the block."

Signs flew by like lightning, her smirk not wavering one bit as the twin pigtail girl used the last sufficient amount of chakra she could sacrifice. "And if you don't know how big that is, then I'll gladly demonstrate. _Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!"

In a wide spread of smoke, disappearing all around them, erupted an army of Narukos. Hundreds upon hundreds stared back, smirking widely toward the shock and stunned Uchiha.

If Sasuku thought she had a handicap before, this sea of blonde hair really took the cake. _'Impossible! How can she summon so many, and with so little chakra left!?'_

"Now I'll show you, Sasuku-teme," an echo of her opponent's voice surrounded her incredulously, "why you should never, _never_, disrespected my best friend ever again!"

"I…" She trailed off, unable to think of a reply. All she heard before her brutal onslaught commenced was Naruko's command that pulled the final string to her fate.

"ATTACK!"

-WWWWWWWW-

Although she tried to persuade the boy, Mikoto felt as if she could have done better than her failed attempt during their last encounter. After all, Ken-kun wouldn't end up in evil hands if she succeeded in her plan. She remembered how difficult it was when she had to coax the council to agree to her suggestion, so not only was she expecting success from herself, others were as well, and probably the entire village's fate rested in her hands.

The responsibility was big, but so was the expectations of being an Uchiha as a whole. No matter what, she couldn't allow failure to win, she needed to stand triumphantly. Not only for everyone else's sakes, but for Ken-kun's as well.

She'll try again today, if he came by that is. He would, at least, was expected to, since she was notified that he would train her in their backyard from now on, which was another word describing the open field leading to a nearby forest. After all, one of the reasons they trained outside of the Uchiha's community was because of Sakuri's personal wall of security, but since it was gone, there was no reason to not tutor her right in front of the woman, which personally, she was pretty excited to see for herself.

Mikoto only hoped that Ken-kun would stay long enough for her to arrive home, since Sakuri was told to extend his stay by any means necessary.

That was why she was so anxious to slide the door open to her residence that evening, only to be met by a rushing Sakuri in replacement. "Kennii-sensei, you finally came! I was worried si– oh, it's just you, mother." Her expression dropped like a metal anchor.

"Hello darling… where's Ken-kun?" She looked around the soulless living room.

"He… Kennii-sensei didn't come yet."

-WWWWWWWW-

"Man…" Ken stretched his back, hearing a satisfying crack. "I w-wasn't expecting c-c-cleaning a few r-rooftops would t-take so damn long." Too bad he couldn't make it to Saku-chan's daily training session in time. He guessed he should apologies for his absence tomorrow, since the Uchiha were probably in bed by now. No need for a weak Genin to knock on their door when they clearly deserve the shut eye, especially their hardworking mother, Mikoto-sama. In any case, the young Genin really needed a break. That word would've been substituted by the more typical 'sleep', but since this was himself he was talking about, a word like that didn't even fit in his dictionary. There was no room for such irrational terms. Ironically, no sleep _was _considered irrational by itself alone, but who was keeping track? He himself wasn't even interested in doing such a pointless thing, and the people outside definitely wasn't interested in him in general. Ken guessed he could announced how painful and empty he felt inside to others, but would that really change their perspective of the 'monster'?

His sad and hurt expressions surely had no affect on them when he was a toddler who just learned how to walk and speak, so why would they now? Funny, this was similar to what Saku-chan told him about her struggle on becoming stronger. Only difference was she was illusively cute, and he, an independent teammate on a 'dream team', minus him of course, who was _expected_ to look after himself and not whine about his inner problems like how he had done this morning in front of Anko-sama. What a Kami damn baby!

He chuckled. Now _that_, out of all the accused sad truths that surrounded him, was the most pathetic moment of his life so far. Could he top it? Would he break his personal record? Place your bets everybody! Don't worry, everyone is the winner when it comes to the demon. Since, we all know, _evil never prevails_.

Before he could continue his nightly loathing, a door was heard at his door, startling the boy. Wait, a knock, at this time of day? He never received any visitors before, aside from that one intervention from Kakashi-sensei. But that was in the middle of the morning, and right now, it wasn't even daytime. It was _night_.

He looked at the piece of wood separating him from the outside world with apprehension. Even if it was his sensei, what would he be here for, anyway? Was he curious to know where the green preteen was the whole day? Did the Jounin not get the memo of his punishment? He should have, right? Ken was told that he was, so there was no reason for him to come along for a nightly visit.

Then, if it wasn't Kakashi-sensei… who was it?

Taking slow steps to the awaiting entrance, Ken gulped hard, bullets of sweat starting to slowly pace down his covered forehead. Reaching out with shaky nerves, he grabbed ahold of the doorknob and pulled it open, staring at the somewhat familiar face of a certain person.

"Hey there, Ken-kun," Mizuki gave off a friendly smile, "I heard you had a problem you need to solve. So, want to get rid of that seal of yours?"

**-WWWWWWWW-**

**End of Chapter**

**Ah, I love cliffhangers. Well, unless I'm the one doing the hanging that is.**

**Not really the longest, though it's definitely not the shortest, I think. I noticed that I haven't done an action scene in a while, so this was somewhat of a tribute with the whole Naruko and Sasuku beef. Honestly, their male counterparts should really be better examples if they expect Naruko and Sasuku to paint a better line of footsteps as well.**

**Anyway, thank you everyone for reviewing, favoring, following, and not to mention reading this far.**

**Until next time.**

**-Narurific-**


	8. Too Busy to Stop

**Chapter 08**

**Too Busy to Stop**

**-Empty-**

"_W-Why don't a-anyone else like y-y-you?"_

"_Oh… Heh, no clue." She flashed a small smile._

"…_Well, i-it's their lost then. I-I-I think y-you're an a-amazing person t-to be w-with."_

"…_Ken…"_

"_Hmm?"_

"…_I… I think you're amazing too."_

"_Heh, t-thanks, Naru-chan."_

"_Na… Naru-chan?"_

"_Oh… sorry, what I m-m-meant to say was N-Naruko."_

"_No, no." She fidgeted. "Call me… Naru-chan. I-I mean, if you want to, that is."_

"…_I understand, _N-Naru-chan_." He soon smiled._

_She smiled back, a light blush across her little round face._

-Empty-

"Ohayō, Ken!"

The boy looked up, and was really surprised to see the appearance of his friend. "N-Naruko?"

"Yeah?" She stopped in front of him with a bright smile, a smile that said the blonde was ecstatic to finally see her Ken for so long. Well, it was only two days, but damn was it the longest two days she ever had to endure. His presence really had that much of an effect on her.

"Your f-face…" He ended up gazing her up and down for any more signs. Well, it was difficult to see with her clothes in the way.

"Hmm?" She cocked an eyebrow. "You mean my bandage on my nose? It's nothing drastic. The doctors didn't want to believe how quick of a healer I am. But I guess it looks kinda cool on me. Do you… do you thinks so too?" In a flash, Naruko fidgeted awkwardly with her feet, hands shyly behind her back.

"I m-mean, I guess. B-But where d-did you h-hurt yourself?"

"On my nose, silly." She rolled her eyes playfully.

"N-No," He shook his head, "I m-mean _what e-exactly _happened t-to it? D-Did you trip? W-Were y-you in a f-fight?"

"You could say that, the fighting, that is."

"W-Who hurt you t-then?" He furrowed.

"Sasuku-teme," She puffed her chest out triumphantly, "but it's nothing compared to what I did to her, 'ttebayo."

Ken sighed. "Y-You two really h-have it o-out for each o-other, huh?"

"Hey, I had to teach her a lesson," She pouted, "she was talking shit about my Ke– I-I mean you, so I had no choice but to whip that teme's ass."

"So… y-you s-stuck up for me?"

"Well, duh." She went back to fidgeting with her legs, the ground somehow more interesting to her right then. "I mean, you're my BFF, so it's only natural for me to stick up for you when someone disrespects you."

Ken stared, flabbergasted at how far Naruko would go for him– battling an Uchiha of all people, to the brink of injury no less– but an eventual smile ended up softening his expression. "I… c-can't believe you w-would go through s-such trouble for me, N-Naruko."

"_Naru-chan…"_

"Huh?"

"I-I said, of course I would. I will…" Her cheeks began to heat up, "…I will do anything for my cool friend."

"…Naruko…" He smiled, and embraced her with his arms, her body turning stiff from the sudden contact. Thank goodness Ken was leaning his chin over her shoulder, otherwise he would have seen the glowing redness erupting from her cheeks.

Naruko didn't know what was going on with her right now. Her heart was racing faster than ever, her sweat thick and runny. She hugged him numerous of times, especially when they were young. But this… this growing weird feeling taking over her bowels was beginning to become less transparent than ever. It was once a small spark at the start, but now it was huge and radiant. It was as if it was the only thing that defined her now. Too strong. Too extreme for her to resist. But she didn't put up much of a fight to begin with. For some reason, she liked it.

It only made itself known when her Ken was around, her best friend in the whole wide world. She liked the physical contact they shared, the warm smiles he gave her, the bond they had for each other. It was like an emotional manifestation of the lengths she would go through for him, that seemed to just grow intense and intense by the second.

Naruko didn't know if it was healthy to feel this way, since in the past, all she ever felt was sadness, pure and utter sadness for herself. It was foreign the more it grew, but it was still a familiar and lovely emotion to feel. Something she wished would last forever, like the hug she sub-consciously embraced in along with the provocateur. But even if it wasn't, even if it was somehow the most deadliest virus of all instead of a normal and healthy thing to endure, Naruko didn't care. She would endure it until the very end.

For him.

For her Ken.

-Empty-

"_Hey!"_

"_Ah!" She jumped, looking around frantically for the source._

_A little girl looked up at her, glaring as much daggers as she could at her._

"_Y-Yes?"_

"_What do you think you're doing?"_

"_Oh, urm, n-nothing." She smiled nervously._

"_You were spying on my husband, weren't you?"_

"_Your… husband?" Despite her soft voice, the confusion was still heard._

"_So you were, huh?" She took a 'threatening' step forward._

"_N-No, I wasn't. I wasn't s-spying."_

"_Don't wie to me." She prodded a tiny, yet stern finger against the blue-haired girl's chest. "I saw you watching my Kennii-chan over there!"_

"_Ken… nii-chan…?"_

"_Wet me get one thing stwaight with you, wittwe missy." She prodded again, putting more force into it._

_The receiver flinched._

"_If I ever see you coming anywhere near my hubby again, I will personawy make your wife a wiving hew, got it!?"_

"_Ur…" She stuttered, just to receive another forceful prod._

"_GOT IT!?"_

"_Y-Y-Yeah…"_

"_Good." Little Mimiru crossed her arms, a stern look still fixed on her face. "Now scwam, otherwise I'w change my mind." With that said, the girl skipped away, in the same direction young Ken went to._

_Young Hinata merely blinked at the scene._

_What just happened?_

-Empty-

"Hey t-there." Ken waved and sat down.

Sasuku groaned in response. Again with this guy.

"What do you want, Dead Last?"

"I h-heard what happened b-between you and N-N-Naruko."

"And?" Her tone had annoyance instead of insistence.

"Well, I just w-wanted to a-apologize to you."

"Apologies? Apologies for what?"

"For her a-actions." He elaborated, looking straight in her eyes with sincerity. "So, p-please forgive Naruko… especially me f-for what we've d-done to you."

She deadpanned. "You didn't do anything wrong, baka."

"But I d-did." Ken looked away in dismay. "I-In fact, I'm the o-only one who's t-to blame for a-all of this."

"What are you saying? You're not making any sense."

"I…" He trailed off with self-loathing, "…if i-it wasn't for m-me, you w-wouldn't needed to w-waste your time 'd-disrespecting' me, as N-Naruko had p-put it, and she w-wouldn't have fought with you…" His eyes landed on her wrapped bandages on numerous number of places across her body, "…hence, you wouldn't h-had to go th-through _that_."

He felt like scum. Scum that only caused trouble wherever he went, no matter if he was currently there or not. If there was one thing he hated the most, it would be being the cause of something unnecessary scarring for others, not only for the haters around him, but for his only friends and comrades.

_Especially _Team Seven.

Maybe killing himself would have been the smartest choice he could've successfully executed. It would have definitely been better than knowing he was a wolf in sheep's clothing. Maybe this was what the villagers meant when they said he was a monster?

It made sense if it were.

Sasuku sighed at his guilt. "Stop being such a baka, Dead Last."

Ken looked back up at her. "E-Excuse me?"

"I said you should stop acting deaf and stupid." She glared at him, but her face soon softened. "It's not your fault entirely. I should've kept my thoughts to myself back there, but I didn't, and so I paid the price." She glanced in front of her, the wind gently touching their skin in response. "So stop acting like you care already."

"But I d-do."

"No you don't."

"Y-Yes I do."

"No, you don't." She glared at him. "You're only doing this because you feel guilty."

"I-It's not only that." He shook his head in denial, fixating on her eyes with a serious look. "I c-consider you a friend, Sasuku-chan."

"Sure." She took her eyes off of him nonchalantly. "Whatever you say."

"I…" He stared down, biting his lip.

Silence absorbed the situation with open arms, until Ken continued to speak.

"Do you r-remember…?"

"Remember what?" Sasuku asked, still looking straight forward with boredom.

"The first t-time we met."

_Whack!_

"_Hah!" He laughed, looking down at a young Academy Ken along with his group. "Looks like blondie isn't around to save you this time, freak."_

"_Man, look at his eyes. I mean, what is he trying to mimic with dyed eyes like that? The Sharingan?"_

"_Heh, nice one dude."_

"_Don't worry, freak." He cracked his knuckles. "I'll make sure to dye your whole face red _and _blue."_

Sasuku gave him a glance before averting back to the empty field in front of her. "Yeah, I remember."

"_Hey."_

"What about it?"

"_Oh shoot. Isn't she that emo Uchiha?"_

"_What do you want, bitch? Can't you see we're having a moment here?"_

"Y-You…"

"_I don't like assholes picking on losers like that."_

"_Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it, girly girl?"_

"…you s-saved me from those guys."

"_W-Wait!" The green-haired student reached out from his stunned form, unconscious bodies lying all over._

_She stopped, and turned._

"…_D-Domo Ari-g-gatou…"_

_She kept staring, then went on her merry way._

"Don't think too much about it." Sasuku stated. "Like I said back then, I just don't like assholes picking on losers like that. Calling each other names, I don't care too much of, but when it becomes physical, I just can't stand people that does such things. So it wasn't anything personal, like you are some kind of special loser."

"I-I know… but still, y-you went out of y-your w-way to step in w-when no one else would. Since t-then, I began t-to admire you, Sasuku-chan."

The girl turned her vision to him, her expression still the same.

"Y-You showed me t-that a-aside from Naruko, there is s-still people w-who would do t-the right thing, no m-matter what t-the con-s-sequences. B-By then, I m-made up my mind…" He looked up in her pitch black eyes, eyes that he thought were incredibly amazing just by existence. He thought he was empty inside before, a dark void eating him from the inside out. But the Uchiha's eyes seemed like an empty void as well, and yet, they were still human, and still felt things. Determination, pride… _selflessness_. It just goes to show that you didn't need magnificent orbs like Naruko had to be someone people could look up to, all you need was a heart like hers, and that was it.

So if Sasuku could achieve life in those eyes and meaning in her emo soul, along with everyone else, then there was no logical excuse for him to not have as well. Everybody, all of the people around him were such monuments, such inspirations that kept him going, and one of those inspirations was right in front of him.

"…that I'll d-do anything to be c-considered a friend of yours, S-Sasuku-chan."

Her mouth hung open a bit, the revelation amusing to her, and yet, it held meaningful willpower. Like the statement only could spread the sea if it wanted to, especially when his eyes were burning with desire right before her.

Sasuku's lips tugged upward sub-consciously. It was subtle and only lasted for a second, but it was there, and Ken surely caught it with surprised orbs. "You are so weird, you know that, right?"

Ken nodded, still astonished by her sudden smile.

She turned her head toward the grass once more. "If you really want to be my friend, then get stronger."

"Huh?"

"You're too weak. I don't want you to keep depending on others just because you're unable to achieve any ninjutsu. If you want to be my friend, then you have to learn to stand beside me and Naruko, not behind us. Once you do that, I'll be your friend, got it?"

Ken beamed so brightly his expression could have blinded whomever stared at it. Instead of being more weight to become a prominent ninja, her requirements gave him more fuel to attain his dream, and a boost that could last for the entire day.

"Hai!"

-Empty-

"_Hey Ayame, wanna hang out with us this afternoon?"_

"_Yeah, you should totes come with, girl. We're going to a good ol' Friday Karaoke moment after school with some hot studs. Maybe you will catch some attention here and there, if you know what I mean."_

"_Sorry, that sounds nice and all, but I'm going to be busy with homework for Monday."_

"_What? Oh c'mon, Ayame, we never hang out anymore. Can you just forget the homework for one day and loosen up already?"_

"_Yeah girl, you're like one of those four-eyed bookworms back at the library."_

"_I can't, guys. I got three projects to complete through the entire weekend. Maybe some other time, 'k?"_

"_Urgh, fine, fine. Whatever."_

_Despite being a few feet away from them and counting, Ayame could still distinctively hear their whispers behind her back._

"Man, she's such a party pooper. Why are we even friends with her?"

"Shh! She'll hear!"

"She might as well. Look at her, putting schoolwork in front of her own friends. She's just a stuck-up bitch, that's all she is."

"I know, but she's the daughter of that famous Ichiraku place. If we keep being her friends, her father wouldn't mind giving us free orders now and then, remember?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right. C'mon, let's get to our next class, that's at least better than taking crap from Mrs. Know-it-all over there."

"Sure, let's go."

_In the midst of it all, Ayame's grip on her bag tightened, a few saltiness falling freely. Why was her whole life falling apart at school? It used to be so much fun, so much grand memories being made in and around the building._

_Now?_

_Now it was the complete opposite. She wished she could just turn back time when everything was okay. When everything made sense. She was losing motivation. Motivation for what she really wanted to become. Sometimes she didn't even know who she was. Who Ichiraku Ayame _really_ was. Was she just someone who was born, would grow old, and would eventually die? Was that really who she was? Was there nothing else in-between? Was that really it? She kept believing it wasn't. She kept believing there was more to her life than just living, and only a few things truly kept her at bay._

_One of them being Tayamaru Kenjo._

_He was only expected to be a regular customer alongside Naruko. A complete opposite counterpart of a duo fated as 'best friends'. Where as Naruko was so lively and full of energy, Ken-kun was more introverted and calm. The Blonde was so outspoken and carefree, but with her male companion, quietness and timidly were what stood out for him the most. Yet, despite being referred to as the 'weakest link', especially in their circle of friends, for Ayame, Ken-kun was the perfect embodiment of righteousness and bravery._

_He had a heart of pure gold that made her own fragile core beat a million times a nanosecond. It was as if her hero was the driver of her vehicle. She literally couldn't go on without him. He wasn't only her chauffeur though, he was her _everything_. Everything that defined her, he was._

_She literally wouldn't be here without him. That was how strong her feelings were for him. How strong her–_

"_Ms. Ichiraku!?"_

"_Huh?" She panicked, nearly falling out of her seat. Snickers and giggles echoed through the area, Ayame's mind coming back to reality. She was in a classroom, a lecture being withheld in the midst of her frantic motion, and heat sparking her peach skin._

_The teacher glared at the embarrassment she was undergoing. "As I requested before, could you please stand up and read from paragraph three onwards?"_

"_Oh, s-sure." She stood up, textbook in hand. Clearing her throat, she began to verbalize the words in front of her._

"_With a distrustful hand, Yuri reached out for her falling emotions, her grip perspiring with unbridled–"_

"_Excuse me, but where exactly do you think you're reading from, young lady?"_

_The hurdling laughter resumed. "Huh? But Hachiro-sensei said paragraph three, right?"_

"_What page are you on?"_

"_Page? I…" She looked carefully at the printed number, "…I'm on page twelve…"_

_The man simply sighed, but it was easily overlaid by the erupting amusement from the other students, only boiling her face further. "You haven't been following, were you, Ms. Ichiraku?"_

"_I… but I…" She hid her face with the man-made object. The ground could might as well swallow her whole._

"_Never mind." He sighed once more. "You may sit down, Ms. Ichiraku."_

_She did. Well, 'sit' would've been an euphemism, as her body practically flopped down in full frustrating discomfiture. That was her mistake though, since by doing so, she stumbled right off of her tipped chair, receiving a hurricane of laughter once again._

"_Please, Ms. Ichiraku," The man furrowed, "have some common decency. Comical acts are not tolerated in my class, young lady."_

"_I'm… sorry, sir." She tidied herself up before finally settling down on the personally hated seat._

_Sigh. Man, that cute face of Ken-kun will the death of her if she didn't do something soon about her dramatic infatuation of the young Genin._

-Empty-

"S-See ya, Naruko."

"Eh!?" Her eyes bulged in furious shock.

Ken and Sasuku turned toward the lone blonde.

"Hmm? Is e-everything okay?"

"I…" She bit her lip. AGAIN!? Why was he doing this to her all the time? Was Saturdays not supposed to be their personal hang-out time? I mean, everyday had been hang-out time, save for Sundays on some occasions of course, but Saturdays were her favorite time of all. Not only was it called lazy Saturdays for a reason, but also because it was the only time in the week that the ramen at Ichiraku becomes cheaper due to Saturday specials.

Not to mention the atmosphere becomes perfect for the both of them. All alone, two BFFs relaxing, chatting their worries away like there was no tomorrow. But it seemed like her Ken was going to bail on her again.

Why was this happening, damn it!?

"It's Saturday, Ken…"

"Oh…" He trailed off, as if the realization train just ran into him. "Our S-Saturday meal… w-would it be okay if w-we skip this week's s-special?"

"Huh?" She blinked, astonished he would even ask her that. "But it's Saturday…"

"I k-know, silly. I h-heard you before." He chuckled. "I k-kinda have a l-lot on my p-plate right now. Heh, get i-it?"

Sasuku just shook her head in disapproval. Naruko wasn't even in the mood to laugh at his usually irresistible jokes. He was busy again? Too busy for their Saturday special? Too busy for _her_? She glanced at Sasuku for a moment, a new sense of hatred sparking inside of the blonde. It took everything she could to not tackle the emo bastard right then and rip her to literal shreds. Though, she could feel her face cringe to a death glare that might even scare the Hokage out of his pants.

But she somehow controlled her urge and held back. "But your promise…"

"I kn-know. I just, p-please just be p-patient, okay? I p-promise to e-eat with you during F-Friday, but s-since I was b-busy yesterday, I'll come a-along o-on Monday."

Busy…

Busy, busy…

_Busy, busy, busy, busy…_

_BUSY!_

"_Fine." _She mumbled with shadowed eyes, a faint redness flowing around her. _"Monday it is, then." 'Monday, Ken. Remember what you told me. You said on Monday. MONDAY. Don't break your promise again. I mean it.'_

"_I'm counting on you."_ Naruko watched her departing best friend leave with her greatest adversary.

"_Please…"_

-Empty-

"Where in the world were you, mister?" Sakuri cornered the culprit with a pouting face, hands on her hips moodily.

"E-Excuse me?" Ken gulped. Even though Saku-chan's glares had became cuter ever since she opened up, it sure as hell still scared the shit out of his untalented pants. Maybe even more than usual.

"Do not play dumb with me." Her cute face crunched up further, but somehow her cuteness accelerated instead of decreased. "You did not show up yesterday. I was waiting for Kennii-sensei all day!"

"Oh, yesterday…" He cleared his throat, before revealing what was behind his back.

Sakuri's eyes widened. Sasuku's eyes fixed themselves on the items in his hand. "I'm r-really sorry, Saku-chan. I r-really wanted to come, b-but I was too busy w-with… work. I kn-know I shouldn't b-be forgiven for h-how selfish I w-was, but I w-would like to reimburse for lost d-day."

"Well, I guess I will let it slide this time." She said, eyes still fixated on the stuff before her. "But what are these for?"

"Well," He smiled, "since y-you showed a lot o-of progress with your s-sync-c-chronization of your c-chakra, I think i-it's time we actually g-get on with t-the fun part. So I g-got you a b-bunch of chakra i-induction paper and a m-mixed elemental s-scroll for b-basic practice."

"Wait, you do not mean…"

"Yep. It's t-time you learn s-some actual ninjutsu, S-Saku-chan."

With a squeal of happiness, the little Uchiha tackled the boy to the ground, her arms squeezing him with affection. "Yay! I'm going to learn ninjutsu! I'm going to finally learn ninjutsu! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"S-Saku-chan…" He tried to pry her off for space, but gave up when Ken realized the futility of it all. But he guessed he couldn't complain, her happiness radiating from her joyful expression was just so enticing and adorable. He was glad he could see this side of Saku-chan, the side that he fought for the entire time and was just so captivatingly sweet.

Ken patted her head, smiling all the while. Sasuku chuckled softly, the sight amusingly cute.

At least Dead Last was good for something.

-Empty-

"Hey."

Ken averted from his student. Sasuku held out one of the glasses she was holding. A cool, refreshing hue of mouth watering orange juice at arm's reach. "Is that f-for me?"

"No," She grunted, "it's for the person next to you."

He turned toward his side, but no one met his eye.

"Really?" Sasuku deadpanned.

"Heh, I'm just m-messing with you." He smiled, reaching out with a thank you.

"Touché." She flashed a smile, earning a wider smile from her teammate. Sitting down with the dork, the Uchiha watched with interest on how her sister was doing. Who would've thought her Primary Element would be Lightning. I mean, the girl wasn't born in Kumogakure or anything like that. But she supposed everyone was different in the end. "I see she's showing a good amount of progress."

"Yeah. She's definitely an Uchiha." He took a sip of his cold beverage.

"Heh, so you understand how talented Uchiha are." She took a sip as well.

"Yeah…" He ran a finger around the circular edge of the glass.

The girl noticed the thoughtful look on his face, moderately covered by a shard of mask made out of a lack of self-esteem.

"Hey."

He turned his head.

"Keep on striving, you'll get there eventually. After all," She gave him a smile, noticing she was sub-consciously flashing such emotions around him more frequently than ever. She didn't know why, but his presence was becoming more tolerable and somewhat alluring, albeit it was usually shrouded in a cloud of failure and self-doubt. "even Dead Lasts are able to reach an adequate level of status."

Ken's eyes widened a bit. Wait, did Sasuku-chan just tried to cheer him up? Wow… he guessed even emo people were able to change into something less dark and more kind. He tugged a smile. "Arigatou, S-Sasuku-chan."

"Don't thank me." Her smile fell away, looking back at the younger Uchiha. "I didn't do anything special. If you want help, the only person who can help you is yourself."

Ken's smile faltered as well, only due to the change of pace from his teammate. "Is there… i-is it something to do w-with y-y-your goal, Sasuku-chan?"

She gave him a momentary glance, one that told him he should mind his own business, but averted once more. "You don't need to know."

"But I-I would like to."

"…"

"S-Sasu–"

"Stop. Just, don't. I don't need you to butt in confidential business, Dead Last."

"…" He searched the ground, as if it had the best reply for this particular moment.

"W-Would you… would y-you share if I b-become stronger?"

"…Sure, whatever."

He smiled. "Thank you."

"Stop thanking me. Geez, you're so weird."

"W-Weird, huh?" He grinned. "You think th-that's weird, wait t-til you see m-me eat a w-whole bowl of ramen i-in ten seconds."

"Pfft. Big whoop." She rolled her eyes. "What? Are you telling me your appetite is 'out of this world'?"

"Depends i-if it h-has room for th-the chop-s-sticks _and_ bowl."

"You ate the tableware _and _vessel?"

"Nope." He smiled. "B-But I got y-you to believe I did f-for a second there, huh?"

Sasuku stared him with a strange look, before chuckling, shaking her head in disbelief. "Man, you really _are weird_."

"And y-you have a c-cute laugh."

"What?" Her eyes bulged like he grew a second head.

Ken's smile grew. "I s-said I like y-your laugh. It's cute."

…

Sasuku's head jerked in the opposite direction, a light blush taking form. "S-Stop being so weird, baka."

"But i-it's true." He turned to his student, her molding slowly but steadily coming to fruition. "I think you sh-should laugh more often, e-express your i-inner self more, you kn-know? I th-think it'll suit y-you better."

Sasuku's gaze slowly turned to him, his calm and joyful demeanor fixated on the little Academy student in front of them. What was with this guy? Why was he so weird? Telling her to laugh; to express herself? What a ridiculous suggestion! Why would she? Displaying emotion was just a waste of time. The only thing she would actually want to do and accomplish was to reach her goal.

To kill that bastard sister of hers who nearly wiped her own clan off the map. Her mother had to suffer from two occupations because of that selfish and heartless bitch. Yet, as she continued to observe his facial features, a warm smile ended up on her face without her knowing.

At least she had a teammate she didn't completely despised.

-Empty-

_Urgh!_

_His head._

_He felt, dizzy. It was throbbing unrelentingly. Like two darn trains demolishing each other at top speed._

_Man, where was he anyway?_

_A bed?_

_How did he end up in the Orphanage?_

_He couldn't remember returning._

_In fact, he couldn't remember anything that happened last time he was conscious at all._

_When was that anyway?_

_A day?_

_A month?_

A year?

_He looked around, and realized he wasn't in his bedroom though._

_It was somewhere else. A place he didn't remember being in before. Was this the Orphan Lady's room then?_

_Oh crap! What if it was! Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! He was so screwed. He somehow stumbled in her room, not to mention the bed she slept in. Oh no. This was bad. This was really bad! He had to get out of here. He couldn't let anyone know of his whereabouts being in here, if they hadn't found out already. Oh no, oh no, oh–_

_The door creaked open._

_OH NO!_

"_I-I-I-I-I–" He bit his lip. Gosh darn his infuriating impediment!_

"_Oh, I see you're awake." A woman entered the area. But wait, that wasn't the Orphanage Lady. But, if it wasn't her, who was this then? "You were quite hurt, so I patched you up as much as I could. Be grateful, since I usually kick the asses of trespassers, no matter if they are innocent or not."_

_Wait, did she just say that she patched him up, as in, took care of whatever injuries he had? But he didn't… hang on. He was starting to remember. He was starting to remember what happened last night, or at least what felt like last night. He was running from a spiteful mob. The villagers had suddenly attacked him without warning. He didn't know why, all he knew was he had been running for his life._

_Then he stumbled upon a… he assumed it was a forest? Yes, yeah it was definitely a forest. But then, he passed out from fatigue and the pain that rushed through his numb leg. A pair of legs… a person. A person encountered him once he fell unconscious._

_Wait, was it her?_

_He couldn't remember the face though._

"_Here you go." A platter was placed in front of his covered lap. A bowl of warm, strong scented miso soup invited his nostrils for a whiff, a glass of clear water meeting his suddenly thirsty eyes. "You must be really hungry after sleeping for two whole days, so I made you a small meal to fill your stomach."_

_Ken stared at the offer, then shyly turned back to the woman, then averted once more to the meal. He bit his bottom lip, but did nothing. No advancement for the chopsticks resting idly in the bowl. No dehydrated grip choked the glass. He just stayed there, looking down at the plate with hidden emotions._

"_I'll…" He heard her started, "…give you some space…"_

_She left the room, but he kept staring._

_Staring. That's all he did._

_For hours and hours._

-Empty-

"Hi, Naruko-chan!" Ayame greeted from the pot, her smile slowly disappearing once the face of Naruko made contact with her vision, but most importantly, the lonesome that entered with her. "Is Ken-kun not with you?"

"Hey Ayamenee-chan. Hey Ojii-san. No, unfortunately work called his name, again." She flashed them a small smile before taking a seat.

"Again, huh?" The man shook his head in disbelief. What was going on with that boy nowadays? "I guess I can't complain. My name gets called practically everyday."

"But he's always eaten with you, Naruko-chan, especially on Saturdays. _Well, maybe excluding last Wednesday, though_." Of course Wednesday was an exception. The day she finally had Ken-kun all to herself. The day she attempted to bless his enticing lips with her own.

The day her father caught her in the middle of the action.

Man, was that embarrassing. Thank goodness it didn't end up with a scowl for none of them, or even worse, Ken-kun being thrown as if he was the provocateur. But it _definitely _ruined the mood.

"It's been like this since Tuesday I believe." Teuchi stated, catching his daughter's attention. "I kinda miss the kid. Though, I can't imagine what type of work he could be doing that would stop him from having at least a moment of tranquility with Naruko-chan."

"Maybe… maybe he's stressed out?" Ayame assumed worriedly. Oh no, she hoped that wasn't the case. Her Ken-kun, full of stress? That wasn't good. She wished she could have done something about it though. But what could a measly teenager like her do for a big hearted Genin such as her amazing Ken-kun? She didn't even know where he lived!

"It could be…" Naruko muttered, showing gratitude to the recently placed pork ramen in front of her, "…but if that were the case, it wouldn't matter. Ken doesn't seem interested in sharing his problems anymore. It's weird though. When we were younger, we used to exchange so many information about each other. So many untold secrets being laughed at and comforted by the other. Now? Now it feels like Ken is slowly drifting away from me. It might just be too personal to mention, but that doesn't calm me down in the slightest. I just… I just don't know what to do anymore."

She tightened her grip on the chopsticks, fighting back tears. The two cooks watched with sad looks exhibiting their feelings. Just this morning they were having an intimate moment, hugging their feelings into one another. But now, he was back to busy Ken. The Ken who didn't have time for her anymore. Was he actually trying to make her feel bad? To make her feel like their friendship was only there to crumble, and that it was finally time for it's demise?

To make her feel like no matter how many times she might try, no matter how many times they shared an embrace, moments of _hope_, it was just inevitable in the end? Was that it? Was that all there was to it?

"I know he's trying. I know he's really, _really_ trying to keep things together by himself. But he has to realize that I'm not just a trophy he can just forget about. I _can _help, and I _want _to help him. You have to understand that BFFs stick together, not fall apart. I want to be the shoulder you can cry on like usual, damn it! Can't you see that, baka!?" She slammed her fists against the counter, the food swaying dangerously inside the bowl. For a second there, she forgot she was surrounded by company.

"Naruko…" Ayame whispered with concern.

"I…" She ran her hands in her golden hair, "I want to help him. That's all I want to do…"

She sniffed.

-Empty-

"_That's all I ever want."_

"_H-Huh?"_

_The young Academy girl smiled at his confusion. "All I want is to see you smile." She blushed. "That's all I want. So, please… don't cry, 'ttebayo."_

_He stared at her with glistening orbs, amazed at how their roles were swapped. He ended up in the park, on the swing, absorbing what a bunch of kids spat him._

"_I've seen your apartment. It's awful, just like you."_

"_Just die, you stupid idiot. Nobody likes you."_

_Just when he was pulled out of the gutter, just when he thought life had meaning, he was told only his life had none. And for once, throughout the hateful remarks toward him, he actually believed it. He didn't know if it was because of his sudden sense of blonde meaning he found once seated on the very same swing it sat on, _she _sat on, or something else. All he knew was that he had become more vulnerable than before, and their daggering words struck him._

_Right through his bleeding, fragile little heart._

"_N-Naru-chan…"_

_Her smile gained more length, more warmth, more _meaning _he could swallow along with what was left of his pride, if he even had pride at all. She was just… so… unbelievably awesome._

_She reached with a hand, a moment of reversed déjà vu flashing forth for a second, his face replacing her own. But it wasn't as colorful, as incredibly breathtaking as hers._

_Those adoring whiskers were like eternal scars that cancelled and mended his own from the inside and out. She was the bona fide embodiment of an angel sent to nurture him in her arms._

_He found himself desperately tugging on her skin, just as how he took her slender hand right then, not wanting to let go and fall back down to ground level._

_After all, this blonde angel would be the one to take him to cloud nine. To a place where everything made sense._

_A place where he could finally feel a heart melting tearfulness in his damaged, young soul._

_A place he could _finally _call _home.

-Empty-

"Please, don't go, Kennii-sensei!" Sakuri whined desperately.

Ken sweat dropped, the girl was really persistent, even more so than usual, if her tone and grip on his arm were anything to go by. She even attempted to puppy eyed him, which she had been successful without even trying, since she was just that cute. Ken could tell her attempts were becoming more frantic and loose due to his constant resistance. It wasn't as if it didn't have any affect on him. It hurt his heart to deny acceptance for such a simple and generous offer, but he had no choice. As he said to Naruko this afternoon, he was too busy.

Ken did his best to spend his free time on Saku-chan to make up for yesterday's tutoring. Now he needed to get right back on track with what's unfortunately more important than the people he cared for.

"I-I'm sorry, Saku-chan, but I h-have a lot on m-my schedule."

"Then just make room!"

"…I… I can't. I'm s-sorry."

"Is it because of your parents?"

"…I–"

"It is fine, they would not mind if you stayed over one night, right?"

"I–"

"And do not worry about my mother's opinion. In fact, her offer still stands since Thursday. So please, do not leave, Kennii-sensei. Not again!" She pulled his arm closer to her chest, burying it between her flat, pre-pubescent breasts.

Despite the lack of erotic sensation of the feeling, Ken still ended up forming a instinctive light redness to his pale cheeks. "Saku-chan, y-you're…"

"Please, I'll do anything, Kennii-sensei!" She was on the brink of tears, a force that pulled the last resisting string to his heart. He gave way just like how she did in the woods a few days ago.

All the while, Sasuku had stopped her solo training and observed the scene with interest. Her sister really evolved, or devolved, she supposed, into a sack of useless emotions that somehow grew legs. She pitied her really. It was all the Dead Last's fault though. If he hadn't persisted in breaking Sakuri's wall, then she might have still be the normal, typical Uchiha of toughness. Now she was just a ball of softness, with a puncture leaking not air, but vulnerable tears.

Sasuku sighed in disappointment right before a sigh escaped her teammate's lips as well. "Fine." The older sibling witnessed her sister's eyes widened with joy spewing out of their sparkling form and her growing smile. "I'll… stay. If it's okay w-with you guys."

YAY!

Sasuku cringed at the volume, Sakuri roughly shoving Ken to the ground with a monstrous hug that seemed to mercilessly disfigure his middle section.

"S-S-Saku-chan, you're g-g-gonna d-decapitate my b-b-body with your h-h-hug…!"

She chuckled.

What a weirdo.

-Empty-

Tick. Tock.

Those were the sounds one would hear in the almost empty apartment of a certain blonde. It was dinner time.

"Itadakimasu!"

She showed gratitude for her meal.

But her stomach certainly didn't. Neither did her mouth.

Only thing the bowl of ramen that was held in her line of sight did receive was a collection of playful, apathetic movements with a pair of chopsticks. She sighed. What was the point? She wasn't even hungry. Her lost of appetite summed up how she felt recently for the entire week. The lack of energy to do anything at all was becoming the only thing that defined Uzumaki Naruko right now.

By acting isolated, Ken had changed Naruko as well. She only did her daily tasks because she had to. She was just… she was just too fixated on his problems instead of her own. But that made sense though, since her problem _was _Ken's problematic personality.

She wished… she just… URGH!

"What's the damn point!?" She repeated, banging her hands on the table, spilling ramen all over her orange pants. "Ah! Kami damn it!" She instantly stood up, knocking the chair over, infuriated. "Argh, Ken you baka! Why can't you just tell me already!?" She shouted, her voice might have probably reached the neighbors beside and below her. But she didn't care. She didn't fucking care! All she cared about was her Ken right now.

"Baka! Baka! Baka! Baka! Baka!" She ruffled her hair, the boiling volcano from inside needing a desperate outlet. Naruko was literally losing her mind. She needed to punch something. She needed to break something. NOW!

"Haah!" She cried, punching through the table that seemed to be taunting her just by being there. It cracked, breaking in two complete, useless halves. But her anger didn't crack. It was still whole, and out of control. She punched the wall next.

Again.

And again.

And again, and again, and again.

Her fists were full of dust from the painted, now dented concrete. "Damn it!" She yelled one more time, before collapsing, flat on her back, staring up at the silent ceiling. She lied there, in a pile of destroyed and tipped over furniture.

Tick. Tock.

It was the only thing one would hear when they entered the mess of a living room a certain blonde lied in.

The.

Only.

Thing.

-Empty-

Man, this was just too much. I mean, he attempted to even fathom the idea of inviting him over for the night, and that said a lot. It was just too confusing to even accept with a one hundred percent embrace. Now he was offered a glorified dinner, even more magical than his meal two days ago. Not only that, which the stay was already excessive by itself, but he was also offered usage of their bathroom. More specifically, the _shower_.

It wasn't said in an offensive way, like he stunk like a skunk, figuratively speaking, and he doubted a kind woman like Ms. Uchiha would ever mean it like that. It was just a simple heads up, a demonstration to how far he was allowed to extend his boundaries around the residence, which probably ranged from minimum to maximum. But even so, how could he use someone else's restroom so freely? He just couldn't. It was too foreign to him to be appropriate.

Don't get him wrong, it wasn't as if he didn't want a bath. Kami knows how desperate he needed a proper scrubbing. It was just… too much for him to accept so quickly. He tried saying that it was A-Okay, and that they should not be obligated to give me such access, even if he was a guest. That didn't work, of course, neither did his lack of PJs. Who would've thought Sasuku-chan's relatively unisex and coincidental sized clothing would come in handy for this particular moment. Still, Ken couldn't help but feel out of place, like he was intruding and abusing Mikoto-sama's kindness.

Unless it was all a ploy, a disguise for something devious underneath. I mean, Tsume-sama was nice, but ended up the same as the others. She hated his guts. It still plagued him why she even put up with him so long just to chuck him out from her hospitality. But it couldn't be a ploy though, right? He thought it was before, and was proved dead wrong. After all, Uchiha-sama was different, well, so far at least. But if it was clearly evident that she truly was _this kind_, then it just gave him more of a reason to get the hell out of there.

It was one of many excuses he had to decline the offer of staying over, only deciding to accept the afternoon meal a while ago due to compulsory reasons. He was afraid.

He was just simply afraid. Afraid that if he overstayed his welcome, then he would end up losing the Uchiha family as well. Just like the Inuzuka. He couldn't put up with another rejection from another person that he held close to his heart, let alone an entire clan, regardless if they were almost extinct or not. That was why he stopped calling Naruko Naru-chan. The daydream he had, had a horribly tremendous effect on him.

"_I don't think this is going to work."_

"_This 'friendship' of ours."_

"…_I don't think you're good for me."_

He didn't want to lose her.

"_N-No!"_

He didn't want to lose the Uchiha.

"_I-I-I'm sorry, okay!? I-I-I-I didn't m-m-mean t-to be a-a-a b-burden, N-Naru-chan!"_

He didn't want to lose none the them.

"_That's Naruko to you. I'm not your 'chan' anymore."_

Just thinking about it again made his throat pipe up.

He attempted to swallow the memory back down.

'_Stay calm, Ken, stay calm. You can do this! I mean, sure, you got yourself in the same predicament as before, but you know what? It's fine. It's totally… totally fine. You just have to avoid pissing them off like how you did with the Inuzuka, or whatever you did back then to rile them up. Just, watch your step. Like I said, you can do this!'_

He stepped in what was presumably the bathroom. Wait, there's steam coming from the vapor covered shower, and, hang on, was that the sound of water hitting the ground? Water… the… oh no… was that the _shower's_ water?

He heard a faucet squeaking shut, and the front cover of the once steamy cascaded area opened for all to see.

Sasuku blinked, stark naked.

Ken sweat dropped, death smiling upon him.

Yep, this was just too much.

-Empty-

"Good night, sweetie."

"Urm, dad?" Teuchi stopped in his tracks, and looked back to the teenager covered in pink sheets.

"Hmm? What is it, Ayame?"

"Do you…" She averted her eyes, an emotional cloud raining down upon her, "…are you… ashamed of me?"

"Ashamed?" He cocked an eyebrow. "Why on earth do you think I am ashamed of you?"

"I… well, I… you didn't mention what happened that day when you caught Ken and me, not even once. I don't know if you are just that indifferent to what I was going to do, or if you are just too proud to talk about it…"

"Honey…" He sighed, before chuckling, which caught the girl's inquisitive attention. "Is that all? Honestly Ayame, sometimes I think you really _do _worry about unnecessary things."

"But… I was about to take advantage of him, dad." She looked down with depression, well, toward her compensated toes, since she was still laying with her nerves right next to her.

"Ayame, you make it sound as if you were going to harass him or something."

"But he didn't even reciprocate during the moment."

"He's probably too shy. Who wouldn't be? You are really a beautiful woman, sweetie, just like how your mom was."

"Dad…" She smiled at the compliment, "but isn't it disappointing to know that I would go for someone so young instead of someone around my own age?"

"Ayame, you're only fifteen years old, there's really not a big age gap to begin with."

"But–"

"No more buts, honey." He said sternly, but an amount of care was still inputted. "Really now, it is I who should apologize. If I didn't come in and intervened, you two would probably be married already."

"Dad!" Ayame gasped, hiding her beet red face with her blanket.

Teuchi merely laughed at her dismay. "I'm serious though. I wouldn't object, but I highly advise that you keep your womanhood off limits until an appropriate age, even though he _is_ your knight in shining armor. Well, unless you're absolutely sure you want to break it at an early age."

"Stop it dad! You're so weird!"

This time, both of them laughed.

"Don't worry though," he chuckled, his high of laughter barely alive, "I'm sure you'll have better luck next time."

"Dad seems really supportive though."

"What do you mean? Why shouldn't I? He _is_ the one who saved my daughter from a terrible fate, isn't he?"

Ayame smiled, reminiscing the unforgettable memory. "Yeah, he did."

"So that should be enough of a reason to give you my blessing, right?"

"I guess it is."

"There we go. I knew my Ayame was smart."

"Hey!"

"I'm just kidding, honey." He laughed for the third time.

Ayame pouted, but smiled afterward. "Thanks, dad."

"Hmm? What for, sweetie?"

"Well, I guess for just being here for me. Some children don't even have any parents, so I'm grateful I have one as understanding as you."

Teuchi smiled. "No problem, Ayame. Anything else?"

"Nope. That's all. Good night, dad."

"Sweet dreams, honey."

The door closed, which gave Ayame a sense of privacy for her thoughts, if it even needed in the first place. She smiled warmly, slowly dozing off with heart fluttering thoughts of a certain Genin.

-Empty-

If there was one connection he had aside from humanity, it would be the countless stars he was currently staring at right now. Space was always so fascinating to him. He always wondered what it would be like to leave the atmosphere and attempt to touch a real life star. Was it even possible? They seemed too far away, even to his imagination, inside of their own little world, unbothered by mundane circumstance.

Where they lived practically free from any and all chains up there, down here, he was chained by, well, anything and everything. The villagers. Gravity.

His inability.

Speaking of which, he should probably be going, he had a date with a certain former sensei of his. Man, Ken hoped that the man was still waiting though. They were supposed to meet up early in the evening. Now it was late in the night.

Curse Saku-chan and her jumbo-sized cuteness.

Whoosh.

His ears perked up, and turned his head to the guest room's shoji door.

Saku-chan smiled back shyly, leaning against the closed entrance, her hands behind her back.

"Hey." She muttered.

"Oh, h-hey." He smiled, curiosity entering the room along with the small Uchiha.

"Just here to check up on you." She approached with bare feet slightly knocking on hard, cold wood. "How do you like it so far? Your stay, I mean."

Ken smiled genuinely. "I really en-j-joyed myself. The d-dinner, the kindness, t-the hospitality. Your m-mother– all of y-you, a-are just too admirably g-generous."

Her smile widened, offering herself a seat next to him. Both of them sat on the comfortable mattress, Ken's attire consisting of a simple black tee and a loose short pants.

"It's nothing special, really. You deserve more though, Kennii-sensei."

He shook his head. "That's n-not true, but I'm honored t-that you would t-think so highly of m-me."

Sakuri giggled at his belittlement, viewing it as a rather cute reply from his unfortunately low self-esteem. She looked through the window above their level, inviting the glorious astronomy inside her opinionated perspective.

"The sky sure is pretty, huh?"

"Yeah," He took a hard, but venerable glance ahead, "it s-sure is."

"I wonder though," She started, her mind sub-consciously drifting into space, "what it would be like to become one myself."

"B-Become one?"

"A star." Her smile persisted, a light glow across her cheeks, whose overall skin was radiating in general. It was probably the welcoming aroma dispersing from her being. Did Saku-chan put something on or did she always smell so beguiling? "I know we ninja usually become soldiers for the good of our village, but I always daydream of becoming a bright and prominent figure amongst my comrades. It must feel very nice to be so dependable. But I really wouldn't change myself so drastically just to be in the frontline."

Ken stared at her for a moment before looking up to the sky. "You sh-shouldn't."

"Huh?" She turned to her teacher.

"It w-wouldn't be worth the t-trouble if you're e-expected to become s-someone you're not. But I guess y-you don't n-need to worry about th-that too much. Like I s-said before, you're a very t-talented Uchiha, more s-so than w-what I've heard your t-typical Uchiha to b-be capable of." He turned to her undivided attention with a confident smile across his face. "If y-you keep e-endeavoring what y-you're doing right n-now, I have no d-doubt in my m-mind that y-you'll blossom i-into something e-extraordinary, Saku-chan."

Her cheeks blew a fuse, now even brighter than before, as her big sparkling eyes kept observing him with a slightly opened mouth. Gosh, was he really good with words. Just that one speech was burning her inner soul with a confident passion. She wanted to strive even further now. For herself. For her peers.

For _him._

She was really a jerk to waste their previous time fighting against his advancements like he had bad intentions for her. But she supposed sulking over the past wouldn't make any difference. Sakuri should focus on today and tomorrow. She should stick to what matters the most right now.

Which was to make her Kennii-sensei proud.

Her smile brightened by over thousand, turning back to the window.

"Thank you, Kennii-sensei. That really means a lot to me."

"No problem."

"…Can I… ask you a favor, sensei?"

"Sure."

"Would you… w-would you continue to tutor me, even after I achieve my short-term goal?"

"If t-that's what you want, then I'll b-b-be honored."

Her happiness excelled even further, Sakuri took the chance to scooch closer.

"D-Domo Arigatou."

Ken smiled at this. "A-Anything for my c-cute student."

He could have been hallucinating due to the magical night, but the Genin could have sworn he saw steam shot out of her ears, a whistle going off in the background.

Was her face deep red? He couldn't really tell, she was averted away from him.

"Y-You… you think I'm… cute…?"

"Of course." He answered, as if it was obvious. "That's readily a-apparent. In fact, I-I think you're one o-of the most adorable y-young ladies I've e-ever met."

More steam erupted, the whistle more louder than before. Wait, was it just him or was the room filling with a soaking mist?

"Hey, y-you okay, Saku-chan?"

"H-H-H-Hai!" She stuttered, shaking her head rapidly.

Ken chuckled nervously. How strange. "In a-any case, don't you th-think it's time for b-bed?"

"Eh?" She gave him a glance, her facial heat steadily cooling off. "Do you not… enjoy my company, Kennii-sensei?"

Ken shook his head, her own hanging with a cloud figuratively raining above it. "That's not i-it at all. I wish we c-could continue to e-enjoy each other's p-presence, but w-wouldn't the others g-get suspicious of your e-extending visit to t-the guest room?"

"They don't know I'm here." She bit her bottom lip. _"Besides, shouldn't lovers sleep together?"_

"Hmm? What was th-that again?"

"I-I m-mean," She waved her flailing arms in front of herself, "would you mind if I slept here… with you?"

He raised an eyebrow at her beet red expression. She wanted to sleep with him? Why? Regardless though, he couldn't waste any more time. He was already late as it was. Mizuki-sensei was waiting for him, if the man was even awake. He had to hurry. "C-Can't you sleep in y-your own bed?"

"Well…" She trailed off, unsure of what excuse to give. Oh no, was she rushing it too fast? Was sleeping with the one you care about the most not the next stage? He sounded impatient and… offended? Kennii-sensei might have wanted to sleep in peace, and here she was, pestering him like a restless rat. She didn't want him to hate her. She would rather die than to be hated by her Kennii-sensei. If he wanted to sleep alone, then so be it.

No need to force his hand.

She shook her head for focus. "…s-sorry, it was really stupid of me to even suggest it in the first place." She stood up and flashed a smile before heading for the exit. "Forget I even brought it up." She slid the door open, but stopped to give him one final farewell smile. "Good night, Kennii-sensei."

"You t-too, Saku-chan." He waved, and that was the last interaction held between the two of them.

Sakuri stood against the doorway, eyes shadowed and ears perking for reconsideration on the other end. She didn't get one, but if she had listened more carefully though, the Academy student would've heard the window sliding open in her sensei's room. But she didn't, and now Ken was not only outside the building, but out of the Uchiha community as well.

If only she knew. She could've stopped something that would later have a huge awful impact on all five significant nations.

Something really awful indeed.

**-Empty-**

**End of Chapter**

**I didn't expect this chapter to be this long in general, but I guess I couldn't stop typing.**

**Anyway, as always, thanks for reviewing and reading this far, I really appreciate it a bunch.**

**Until next time.**

**-Narurific-**


	9. Uchiha Settlement

**Chapter 09**

**Uchiha Settlement**

**-Empty-**

"_Hey kid," The woman sighed, "you do realize that if you don't eat you'll die, right?"_

_He kept staring silently at the fresh meal in front of him._

"_Look," She furrowed, "I put a lot of effort making that dish for you, and this is how you repay me? It cannot be my presence, cause last time you were alone and yet, you didn't much as touch the bowl, not to mention the glass."_

…

"_I didn't poison the damn thing, okay? So just, at least the taste the freakin thing!"_

_He flinched at the volume, but said nothing._

_The woman sighed once again. _'Man, kids can be so stubborn.'

…

"Look, if it's really me you can't tolerate," She looked away, "then I'll leave. But I expect you to eat this time, okay?"

…

Another sigh escaped her, and another movement of the entrance.

Then, he was alone.

Again.

-Empty-

"You're late."

"I-I know," Ken bowed frantically, "I-I-I'm so sorry. I-I p-promise it won't h-happen again."

Mizuki smiled. "It's okay. After all, a teacher should always take care of their students, am I right?"

"H-Hai." He stood up stiffly, eyeing the man with a responsive smile.

"Well, let's get going."

"Sure."

…

"Hey, Mizuki-s-sensei," Ken started after a while of silent walking, "where a-are we going exactly?"

"My place." He gave the boy a temporary glance, "I need to do the removal ritual without interruption, so that I do not make a mistake during the ordeal."

"Yeah, t-that makes sense." Ken smiled. "Thank you a-again for doing t-this for me, Mizuki-sensei. You d-don't know how gr-grateful I am."

"You're welcome, Kenjo." He flashed a smile of his own.

"…I h-have a question though."

"Fire away."

"D-Do you know how I-I ended up w-with such a seal in t-t-the first place?"

"…Well, you were only an infant when it happened, so it makes sense that you have no memory of the incident."

"I-Infant? You mean, I w-was a mere baby wh-when it happened?"

"Yup, but I am not to say anything else about it."

"What? Wh-Why?"

"Because it's an S-Ranked secret, Kenjo. It was kept under people's noses for a reason, that includes yours."

"B-But don't I have a-a say in this? I'm th-the victim here, am I n-not?"

"Indeed you are." Mizuki started. "But that shouldn't give us a reason to open our mouths. Hokage's orders."

"S-So the old m-man does know something a-about the seal." Ken glared at nothing in particular. He knew it. He just knew it. That slimy little… The old man lied to him in his face. Ken thought he despised the man before, but with this new nail in the coffin, his hatred amplified exponentially. "But w-why? I mean, what's th-the harm of telling me? I a-already know about th-the seal, so why still k-keep it under wraps?"

"That's what I would like to know as well, my former student, but unfortunately, I have to follow orders to avoid any severe repercussions."

"…That's… that's o-okay, I guess. I-I mean, you're m-more help th-than anyone has b-been so far, so I'm j-just thankful y-you took ch-charge when no one e-else would."

"Again, you're welcome, Kenjo."

"Can I a-ask why though?"

"Hmm? Why what?"

"Why y-you decided to help me?"

"Oh…" He put on a genuine smile, "Haven't I told you before? Teachers should always take care of their students, right?"

"…Yeah, I guess y-you're right." Ken chuckled. "Th-Then I guess you're th-the only true s-sensei I have."

Mizuki chuckled as well. "Indeed I am, Kenjo, indeed I am."

"_What a gullible idiot you are."_

-Empty-

"_Wow, Naruko-chan! You really are amazingly talented!"_

"_I'll say."_

"_Gee, thanks. But I doubt I'm _that _skilled." The blonde scratched the back of her ponytailed hairstyle._

"_But you have aced all of your physical subjects like it's nothing."_

"_Hey, Naruko-chan. Wanna hang out during break time?"_

"_Hey, I was going to ask her!"_

"_Oh," The one in question blinked, genuinely surprised, "that's nice of you to offer, but I have to refuse."_

"_Eh? Really? Man, that's too bad."_

"_Yeah, bummer. Oh well, I guess we'll see you later then?"_

"_Yeah. Bye."_

"_Ciao."_

…

"_You sure y-you don't want to j-join them?" Ken asked, literally being in the middle of the conversation whilst the 'visitors' spoke over him like he wasn't even there._

"_Yup." She smirked._

"_B-But, why? They s-seemed like nice people t-t-to be friends with."_

"_Maybe…" She leaned against him, entwining her arm around his, "…but I wouldn't trade our time together for the world, 'ttebayo."_

"_Eh?" He blushed. "N-Naru-chan, you're… y-you're really s-strange."_

"_Hey," She pouted cutely, "that's not very nice."_

"_Ah, s-s-sorry," He waved his arms out hastily, "I d-didn't mean it i-in a bad w-w-way."_

"_Relax." She chuckled. "I was only pulling your leg, Ken-ku– I-I mean, Ken."_

_He seemed skeptical on her backtracking, but shrugged it off as just one of her unusual traits. Besides, it didn't matter how unpredictable or strange she might be, Uzumaki Naruko was his friend._

_And forever will be._

-Empty-

"_Damn it!" _Sasuku cursed below her breath, another attempt down the drain. Why could she not get the stupid ninjutsu right? All she could do was spew harmless embers, not the actual flaming ball she wanted as a result. It was as if she had been bewitched to fail no matter how much effort she put into it.

The Gokakyu no Jutsu, aka Fireball Jutsu, was not being friendly to her, not one bit. In fact, Sasuku would even go as far as to say that her Primary Jutsu Elemental– fire– was not cooperating with her as a whole. That alone pissed the Uchiha off, to an extent that she wished she could personally pick a different elemental. Unfortunately, that wasn't how it worked.

Sighing one more time, she sat down on the grassy ground with a thud. There's got to be a component she wasn't taking into consideration. Was there some hidden method she wasn't getting? Man, how frustrating. What was more frustrating than failing after so many tries though was her surname. She was an Uchiha, one of the founders of Konohagakure, and one, if not, the_ best_ clan there ever was out there, and yet, here she was, struggling her ass off over a simple and characteristic jutsu of the clan. Could she even call herself an Uchiha if she couldn't even get something like _this_ right?

Was she even an Uchiha to begin with?

No. No, screw thoughts such as those. She wasn't going to sulk over such things. She wasn't going to berate herself so poorly. That was Dead Last's job. No offense, wherever he was. Sasuku was going to get this right, no matter what, even if it took her her whole life to get right. She was going to _success_.

After all, she was an Uchiha, and Uchiha always–

"Hey, sis."

It was Sakuri, the little brat, standing a few feet away from her, a dull yet calm demeanor defining herself as she stared at her older sister with hidden curiosity. "Hey."

"You've been training for a while, even before the sun rose."

"What gives you that idea?" She asked, half interested as the Genin took the starting posture for the tiresome jutsu.

"Just intuition." She watched her carefully before adding, "You seem stumped. Need help?"

"No, and I'm not stumped."

"It's that jutsu, huh?"

"That's none of your business."

"If you want, I'll allow you to borrow my Kennii-sensei for a bit, but _only _for a bit." She warned with furrowing eyebrows.

"Tch," Sasuku rolled her eyes, "why would I even need help from someone who cannot even mold chakra himself? Sure, he might be helping you, but that's only because you don't have the knowledge to do so. I have all I need, it just takes time though."

"Wait," Her eyes bulged a bit, "Kennii-sensei… cannot mold chakra?"

"Duh. Wait, he hasn't told you yet?"

"…No." She looked down in thought.

"Well, now you know."

"…I don't believe you."

"I don't care if you do or not. That's your thing."

"…" Sakuri slowly left in contemplation, the encounter now upsetting her as she left her sibling alone with her work. This… this can't be true. She was definitely sure it wasn't. Sasuku was lying. It couldn't be that her Kennii-sensei had no actual control of his own chakra. I mean, how could someone teach chakra control and the like without being capable of doing it themselves? It didn't make any sense at all.

Then again, Sakuri never saw her sensei used any chakra in front of her, as far as she knew, much less ninjutsu, especially when he was chasing her through the woods that day. Was that the reason he didn't tree travel to gain a better advantage over her?

She hoped not. It was probably his personal decision to keep it low, so to speak. Yeah, that had to be the answer behind it. But still… it wouldn't hurt to ask him, right? And even if he approved Sasuku's claims, it wouldn't change who he was. He would still be her Kennii-sensei, _her _sensei. Besides, he taught her so much, handicap or not, and she was one hundred percent positive that Kennii-sensei had many more things to teach her.

She smiled, a slight blush creeping on her features. The thought of their future time together made her feel happy inside. A happiness that swerved away once unintentional neglection arrived from her only family. Now it was back, and stronger than ever.

After all, this _was_ Kennii-sensei she was talking about.

_Her _personal sensei.

-Empty-

"T-This too, Ms. Uchiha?"

"Oh yes," Mikoto nodded with a smile, Ken grabbing the questioned glass and cleansing it in the soapy water, "and please, call me Mikoto."

"Hai, Ms. U-Uchi– I-I-I mean, M-M-Mikoto." He said, shyness actually taking place instead of his impediment. Or were they both apparent? Meh, they were technically one in the same to the Genin.

Mikoto giggled so tenderly, it actually made Ken smile with collectedness than with embarrassment. Despite it being a Sunday, which was the only day that gave her a certain chance to spend time with her family, Mikoto always ended up working around the house, which never stayed sparkly forever, no matter the effort the day before. But she didn't mind though, it was her family, and she would do anything for her daughters. What she didn't expect was Ken-kun being generous enough to keep her company by using housework as an excuse. She wished he didn't, work around the house that is, but his dedication spoke volume. It was really sweet of him.

He really changed from back then. At the very least, Ken-kun definitely wasn't the same since long ago. During _that _time. "I'm so thankful though," She started, "there's not too many kind hearted men who would take care of my Sakuri the way you are right now. Just one mistake, and I feared that she would have ended up in the wrong arms of an awful person. But you aren't an awful person. You're too perfect of a man to ever be."

Ken blushed brightly due to the compliment. She viewed him as a man? A _perfect_ man for _Saku-chan_? Wait, now that he thought about it, didn't that sound too… ambiguous? As if he was the perfect husband or something? Pfft, what was he thinking? Of course not. How absurd. His mind really was something, huh?

_Yup. Fucked up just like you._

Oh, crud. His inner thoughts were back in action. Sigh.

"I-I'm not sure h-how to respond to th-th-that, but I'm h-honored to be v-v-viewed as s-such by a w-w-w-won… w-w-w-w-w–"

Fuck.

"Don't force it, deary." She gave him a sad smile, pausing the slicing of vegetables and putting a hand on his shoulder.

He breathed deeply, a somewhat calm sense of tranquility washing over him like a lively, yet comforting ocean. Ken never felt such an emotion before. Was it a coincidence that it said hi as soon as the delicate hand of Mikoto grasped his being? Probably not. It wouldn't surprised him if it was Mikoto who had such a magical touch at her disposal.

Feeling more better, he continued. "I meant t-to say that you a-are a wonderful w-woman, but I guess I f-failed to do s-so, as always."

"Don't say that, deary." She gave his back a heartening rub. "I don't believe you're a failure. Everyone has their cons. Besides, I think it's a very cute con to have."

A wide blush painted his face. "I-I… well, u-urm… that's n-not… I…"

Mikoto giggled that gentle laugh of hers. It was like music to his ears. As if the world's best composers came together and blew the masses away with unbelievable notes and rhythms.

"As I said, just too cute." She smiled warmly, an urge to simply pinch those pale, yet heated cheeks of his bubbled forth from inside, but she somehow kept herself under control.

Really now, how could anyone hate such an adorable boy like Ken-kun? The villagers had no tastes whatsoever. Though, she supposed the tragedy was just too great for them to forgive him over.

Sigh. If she could've just prevented such an incident from happening.

'_Poor Ken-kun.'_

"Kennii-sensei?"

Sakuri looked at the two persons occupying the kitchen with a calm expression.

"Oh, S-Saku-chan. H-Have you made a b-breakthrough?" He was obviously talking about her training.

"Not yet." She gave her mother a glance. "I was hoping I could ask you about something?"

"Hmm? Is e-everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's just…" She guessed it wasn't really worth beckoning her sensei from his supposed 'responsible' just to get his input on something that really wasn't a drastic question in the first place. Again, he would always be _her Kennii-sensei _no matter what. "Is it true that sensei cannot mold chakra?"

Mikoto's eyes subtly went wide with surprise, Ken's own pair growing more evident than the woman's. Oh crap. How did she find out? Who could have told her about his inability? Was it Sasuku-chan? Both of the girls were outside, so it could've been. Still, he didn't expect his teammate to spread such information around, even if it was widely known at the Academy, especially not to Saku-chan. Why would she do it if it really was Sasuku-chan who spew it out? Did it just slip out? Was it due to the conflict between them? Did they not make nice just yesterday? Was her perspective of him still on bad terms? He hoped it was the former.

But that didn't make things any less difficult. Word met Saku-chan's ears, and now she was on to him. His lack of ability was suppose to stay vague and away from the little girl. Now it was out and about. How would he explain himself now? She was going to regret even having him as a teacher, much less kick him to the curb, if Mikoto didn't do it before her daughter that is.

I mean, who would want an incapable Shinobi to _teach _Shinobi-based concepts? Nobody. It was a wonder why they didn't find out until now, if Mikoto hadn't already. Ken remembered once upon a time he wanted out before he was even 'demanded' to enter the tutoring industry. But that was then, this was now. Deep down, he _really wanted _to teach the child whatever he could. Not only was it an honor to tutor an Uchiha of all people, as he finally realized, but also because he grew fond of the youngster.

Granted, it had only been a full week of training her under his less-than-mediocre wing, but that one week felt like the longest year he would ever experience. So much has happened, so many moments has been lived through in that short one-sixty eight hour timeline, and it could've been a lifetime for all he cared.

That was how much he felt he got to know the Uchiha. And that was how much he wanted to spend more time with her _and more_. But if he told her it was true, that his inability was reality, then would they even still want him around? Sasuku-chan barely could tolerate his weakness, and that was only because they _had to_, as a team. But Mikoto and Saku-chan wasn't his teammates, and they sure as hell weren't obligated to keep him around. But it wasn't as if he could lie and attempt to still keep it under wraps. The cat was already out of the bag.

So, what was the best option for him in this predicament? The only choice in general was to just accept his fate, and hope for the best. But even if for some reason they actually looked past his flaw, would things still be the same? He highly doubt it. Awkwardness would surely capture the air more frequently after this. Ken could easily picture their hesitation, especially Saku-chan's, to interact with him.

_Could you teach me on how to…_

_Maybe you might assist me with…_

Agnization of his feebleness would just keep Saku-chan from being fluent with him. She wouldn't know if he could teach her _this _or _that, _much less have knowledge over the subject. Since, let's face it, the phrase 'Dead Last' would definitely be more conditional to her.

"Kennii-sensei?"

Ken blinked, his vision regaining focus. "I…" He could feel their eyes on him, Mikoto's as well. One calm and unreadable, and another with concern over the woman's face. Concern that probably meant denial, hoping this was just a bad joke. If not, anger might appear, and hostility would chuck him out. He sighed. There was no way of avoiding it any longer. Well, this sense of home had a great run, despite being only a day of activeness, but he supposed it was time to take it down for good. "…y-yeah, it's true."

…

There it was, the expected awkwardness held onto the air like a leeching seed. Now the only thing left to do was wait for the inevitable scolding of his life.

_Tsume-sama flashed forth momentarily._

Ken gritted his teeth. Damn it. The one thing he tried to avoid, and yet he still failed to stay away from it.

_What a failure you are._

_You're just making it harder and harder for yourself. Quick, the rope's still waiting for you at home. Go and get it before it's too late, you idiot._

"So Sasuku was right then."

"I…" He swallowed, "I w-wanted to tell you sooner, b-but I was t-too afraid you'd v-view me differently."

"…View you differently?" She raised her eyebrows at this.

He nodded slowly. "I f-felt as if I was d-deceiving you t-the entire time by k-keeping such a thing f-from you, and t-that you might not w-want anything to do w-with me if you k-knew."

"Why would I want something like that?" Confusion escaped her lips.

"I-Isn't it obvious?" Ken raised his head to her. "How c-could I teach you e-enough if I c-couldn't pass my o-own problem?"

Her expression went soft at this, a smile forming on her face. "Does it even matter? Look at me, Kennii-sensei." She vaguely spread her arms to her sides, "Tell me, what do sensei see when viewing me?"

Ken seemed confused, but went with it. "I see a-an amazingly t-talented Uchiha with brilliant a-ambitions to b-become stronger."

A bright blush crossed her face, but she managed to keep herself from losing focus. "And do you know why I represent those things?"

"…Because of d-dedication?"

"Yes," She let out a cute giggle, "_and?_"

The way she dragged that word made it seem as if he was missing something crucial. But what? Was it not true? She confirmed it, and yet, there was still more.

"…And devotion?"

She giggled even more. "That is more or less the same as dedication, silly." Gosh, was the answer really that foggy? Her Kennii-sensei could be so dense at times. But that was one of the traits of his she cherished close to her heart.

"I… I'm sorry, I c-can't really think of any-th-thing else…"

"It's _you_, silly." She smiled even brighter, her blush gaining another faint tint to add to it's red collection.

"Me?" The accusation seemed basic enough, and yet, Ken couldn't wrap his mind around it. I mean, he guessed he did give her knowledge on accuracy and the ninjutsu concepts he unfortunately couldn't manifest, but that was technically about it. The most he thought of himself as, aside from the 'sensei' title he was blessed with, was 'emotional support' and a 'portable library' if Saku-chan ever got sidetracked or lost respectively.

That shouldn't be enough to be proclaimed as an actual influence of her current self, right? He was never that good at anything, so being an effective member at anything in general was impossible for Tayamaru Kenjo. But here he was, being identified as one for some odd reason.

"Yes, _you_." She kept flashing that adorable flushing smile of hers, it was a wonder why Ken had not died from her incredible moe yet. Maybe it was the same reason he didn't die from his 'hanging' experience. Because he refused. Was that even possible, to refuse death by cuteness? Meh, Ken might never even understand life itself on a fundamental level. "If it was not for Kennii-sensei, I wouldn't be who I am right now."

"But I d-didn't do much though…"

"That is not true. Who helped me be truthful to myself a few days ago?"

Oh, he almost forgot about that. He guessed he was an influence during that dilemma, but it was _Saku-chan _herself who allowed the wall to break. Besides, he doubted her introversion was holding her back _that much._ After all, his student was still pretty damn strong back then, just ask his poor gut!

Although, he doubted it would answer.

"…Me?"

"Correct." She gave him a close-eyed smile. "And what about my aiming? Who helped me perfected it?"

"I d-didn't do much, I–"

"_Who helped_ me perfected it?" She repeated.

"…It wasn't m-me alone, Sak–"

"Who helped me, Kennii-sensei?" She furrowed, a glare he hadn't received in a while.

"…Me."

"That is right." Her smile returned as if the mood had not been damaged by his constant denial. "And I bet sensei already know who helped me with information I had no knowledge of, right?"

"…H-Hai."

"Would you care to tell me who was this amazing person?"

He chuckled, but shook his head. "I w-was the person."

"Excuse me?" She raised an eyebrow, taking a step closer, "I did not properly catch that. Could Kennii-sensei please repeat himself for me?"

Ken rolled his eyes. "I am th-the person."

"I still cannot hear sensei. Once more, please?" She took another step closer.

"I am."

"You are? Amazing? Yes, that is readily apparent. But sensei is dodging the question." She giggled, along with her mother as the little girl took one more step nearer, only a few feet left.

"I'm t-the person who helped y-you with the c-concepts."

"Gosh," She pretended to clean her ear with her small pinky, one eye shut tight, "I think I am aging too fast. Could Kennii-sensei be the amazing gentleman he is and be a bit louder?"

"I am." He chuckled, a bit louder as Saku-chan nearly closed the distance between them.

"Louder."

"I-I am."

"_Louder._"

"I am th-the person, Saku-chan." Ken flinched at the sudden collision amongst them. Saku-chan was embracing him with a tight grasp, her face almost completely buried in his borrowed tee. The Genin seemed taken aback by the impromptu hug, but an upward tug on his lips soon showed his acceptance for the action, his wrapping arms around the fragile back of the youngster displaying his undoubted reciprocation.

"_You sure are, you silly doofus."_

-Empty-

"Mizuki-kun." Sarutobi acknowledged from his seat, the man in question stopping in front of the paper-filled desk.

"You wanted to see me, Hokage-sama?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did." He stopped signing whatever he had been filling, giving the man his undivided attention. "There seemed to be reports of Ken-kun ending up in your abode lately."

"…Yes, that's true."

"Care to explain what he has been doing there for the past few days?"

"It's nothing special, Hokage-sama, he was just allowing me to repay my neglection back at the Academy."

"Is that it? Anything else you would like to add to that?"

"No, nothing else, Hokage-sama."

"…"

"…"

"…Well, I hope nothing unusual happens during his nightly stays, then."

"No need to worry, Hokage-sama, I'll keep him out of harm's way. As his Academy sensei, I vow it on my life."

"…That's really reassuring."

The composed Mizuki couldn't really tell if the man was being sarcastic or not.

"Anything else, Hokage-sama?"

"…No, I guess that's about it."

The Jounin turned and made to leave, his hand on the knob.

"Oh, and Mizuki-kun?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama?" He looked over his shoulder.

"Try not to do anything you'll regret, okay? We wouldn't want something awful happening any time soon."

There was a glimpse in the man's aged eyes, a glimpse of unsettling proportions. Mizuki didn't like it one bit, but he held back a snarl. "Understood, Hokage-sama."

Nodding, Hiruzen watched the departure of a really shady man. But he kept his trust at bay. Hopefully that trust wouldn't be shoved right back in his face.

Unbeknownst to Sarutobi however, Mizuki already planned to do just that.

-Empty-

"_Hey!" The woman exclaimed, rushing over to the stumbled child._

_He grimaced in pain._

"_What the hell do you think you're doing?" She sneered, lifting the helpless boy back to the mattress. "Have you not noticed your cast, baka? Your leg's injured. It will take a while to heal, so just be patient and _do not _try to leave the bed again, got it?"_

_He kept silent._

_She ended up sighing._

'Man, this kid is really–'

"_Why…"_

_Her eyes shot open. "What?"_

"_Why a-are you so n-n-nice to me?"_

"…"

"_Everyone e-else hates me, d-don't they? So wh-why are you so d-different?"_

"…_I… look, it's nothing personal, I just ended up helping you, okay?"_

"_Why th-though?"_

"_Hey, don't repeat such questions if you can't even be grateful for the food that's given to you."_

"…"

_Her glare slowly morphed into guilt. His face was still downcast, maybe even more so after what she just said. "Look, I just… can't stand people getting hurt, okay?"_

"…"

_Sighing one more time, she made to leave, but not before giving him one last glance. "Dinner's going to be done shortly. I… I don't want to waste any more food, so you better eat this time, got it?"_

"…"

_She continued to stare at the silence reincarnated, before closing the door behind her._

"…" _He gradually gazed up at the door, then back at his covered leg, before acquainting the back of his head with the soft feathery goodness that was the room's only pillow._

_The ceiling glared at him like the villagers. He could tell, cause everything hated him._

Every.

Single.

Thing.

-Empty-

"W-Want some help?"

She turned to the source.

Tayamaru Kenjo.

Of course it was.

"No." She turned back to her training.

"…You s-sure?"

"Yes, Dead Last, I'm sure."

"…You kn-know, it wouldn't h-hurt to accept a help-i-ing hand now and th-then, no m-matter how s-subtle."

"I said I don't want any help, Dead Last." A hint of warning prowled in her tone.

"But d-do you _need _it?"

"…" She sighed after a moment. Damn this guy, always sticking his nose in where it didn't belong. "You wouldn't be much help anyway."

"I a-agree." He gave his backside a quick glance, his student steadily harvesting for adequate results. "But th-that doesn't m-mean I shouldn't try t-to offer my a-assistance, right?"

"…Fine, whatever." She stood up straight, finally giving way for his prying nature. Sasuku could might as well amuse herself with this intermission.

"Cool." He cheered with a smile. "So, wh-what are ya practicing?"

"My Gokakyu." She turned to face him.

"F-Fire style, huh?" He gave his chin a momentary rub. "A-Are you failing to pro-j-ject it, or is the r-result less th-than adequate?"

"The latter." She crossed her arms. This was going to be really amusing indeed.

"So y-you're not getting the signs wr-wrong, including th-the funda-m-mentals, but th-the procedure instead."

"Yup." She said dully. Wow, incredible, wasn't he?

"Hmm…"

Sasuku almost snorted. Here it comes, the anti-climatic finish. _'He's probably going to say something cliché like try harder.'_

"Have y-you tried to contiguously e-e-exemplify the necessary ch-chakra with y-your b-breathing as a concentrated f-force?"

…Wait, what now?

"What?"

"Your chakra a-and o-oxygen from w-within." He simplified. "I h-heard the Gokakyu no j-jutsu usually p-produces from the mouth, s-so when dis-ch-charging it, an a-ample amount of b-breath should be aligned w-w-with the amount o-of ch-chakra being used. Also, as a-an added i-impetus for a m-more focused a-and de-c-cisive fireball, I advised th-that you put m-more concentration t-to your diaphragm a-as well."

"…You, sound really sure of yourself…" Was all Sasuku could reply with. I mean, what would you say to a Dead Last who came out of the blue with information like that? Trying to sound all smart and stuff.

"Well, I-I've read s-some books here and there, and d-did a little digging on my o-own buried h-hypotheses for added b-benefit."

"…Were you spying on me?" She glared.

"S-Spying?" He blinked. Where did _that _come from? "No. Wh-Why would I?"

"Then am I expected to believe you conveniently did all of that on a jutsu I'm currently struggling with without knowing of my predicament?"

"I…" He waved his arms, "it w-was for Saku-chan, I swear."

Sasuku eyed him suspiciously. "Sakuri?"

"Yeah." He nodded frantically, but cooled down a moment after. "I kn-knew it was only a m-matter of time b-before she synced h-her chakra, so I p-prepared myself with a b-bunch of e-elemental jutsu from each e-element I already kn-knew by heart with a f-few others. One of th-them was the Goka-k-kyu no jutsu, typically u-used as a b-basis for Fire E-Elemental users."

"But what you told me was too in-depth to only be from your everyday scrolls."

"It w-wasn't anything special." He shrugged. "I j-just enjoy deciphering nin-j-jutsu sometimes, especially o-once I realized it was th-the only thing I could do a-after my inability b-b-became apparent."

"…" She stayed silent, taking a moment to cerebrate what he just told her. The way she kept her face somewhat fixated on his made Ken feel like he was being interrogated for classified information. It wasn't as if he was lying, so there was no need for him to be nervous. Even still, the awkward stillness of the situation was really uncomfortable for the male Genin, but he stayed put regardless, not wanting to push the last safety barrier he had to the brim of unspoken punishment for the Uchiha. Kami only knew how disfigured he would end up looking after a beating from Sasuku-chan.

"Whatever." She finally looked away, Ken visibly resumed his breathing. "What did you suggest again?"

"What is that emo sibling of mine doing with my Kennii-sensei?" Sakuri paused her chakra exercise in respect to the extending interaction of the two Genin a ways away from her. "Did I not say a bit? I even put emphasis on the damn statement."

She kept herself from recollecting who was rightfully hers, but soon the time had ate up her last bit of patience. The girl mentally rolled her sleeves up, ready to stomp all the way to Water Country if it meant her Kennii-sensei was once again safe in her arms.

Then, a glow reflected on her black eyes. It was fire emitting from afar.

From her sibling. The bright, top-like ninjutsu spewing from her mouth in a blazing glory kept the girl at bay.

Why wouldn't it? It was the actual Gokakyu no jutsu being released from the once struggling Uchiha, only this time, it was perfect like the burning temperature of the sun.

Though she doubted it had _that_ high of a heat level, but the comparison was still there. It wasn't little flares. It wasn't baby embers.

It was a real Fireball jutsu.

Unbeknownst to the young Uchiha, a small idolizing smile crept on her facial features.

"Awesome!" Ken cheered with a wide grin, the jutsu subsiding. "I kn-knew you had talented U-Uchiha blood in you, Sasuku-chan. Th-There was no doubt about i-it."

The girl turned her body to him with a prideful grin. "Heh. Of course. It's only natural for me to eventually make progress."

He nodded, genuinely happy for his teammate. "N-Now your enemies h-has more of a reason t-to fear Uchiha S-Sasuku."

Her smile grew. "Well, it wasn't only I who gave myself an edge. You helped too, I guess."

"Again, i-it was only a h-heads up, but you're w-welcome nonetheless, Sasuku-chan."

She smiled, a light blush appearing on her cheeks. "Hey."

"Hmm?" He watched his comrade turned to the side with redness, coughing in her fist awkwardly as she tried to keep herself composed.

"I wouldn't mind if you… you know, offer your assistance more often." She attempted to glare his way, but her gaze ended up on his feet instead, her blush still, if not, even more apparent than before. "So you better help me from now on, got it, Dead Last?!"

"Ur…" He backtracked from the sudden aggressiveness. "S-S-Sure, it's wh-what friends a-are for, right?"

She fidgeted. She actually fidgeted.

Wait, he don't think you realized what just happened. Sasuku, his emo companion, actually _fidgeted_ with her feet, an odd glow to her face. It was… really cute if he was honest.

"Yeah," She flashed a small smile, "_friends._"

Then, the concept finally met her brain. "W-Wait, NO! No, we're not friends!" She growled threateningly. "You still have to get strong, baka!"

"A-Ah!" He raised his hands, an accusing finger shook undoubtedly in his direction. "R-R-Right, understood, ma'am."

"You better, you sneaky baka!"

"H-Hai!"

…

"What are you still doing here, then?! Go and get stronger, Dead Last!"

"Ah! Sorry, I'll g-g-get on with i-it!" He practically sprinted as if he were running a marathon. All the while, Sasuku smiled behind his back, her blush not subsiding yet.

"_Baka."_

-Empty-

"Again."

She attempted as ordered.

For the ninety-fifth time.

She failed as a result.

For the ninety-fifth time.

"Again."

She struggled to get up. Fatigue was catching up.

She couldn't let it. She needed to get going before it did.

"Move it, Hinata."

She finally got up, and rushed in.

She fell down.

"Again."

She tried to get up, she really did, but she just couldn't.

Fatigue had her for the day.

Hiashi kept staring at the disappointment that somehow grew legs.

"Today, Hinata, today!"

His voice held impatience, her legs held no ample willpower.

"I said get up already!"

'_C'mon!' _She mentally screamed in her head. _'Don't give up yet, body. You have to keep going!'_

His face flashed through her thoughts.

She regained a bit of energy.

She tried again, but her cousin kept denying her.

"Again."

His face flashed again.

'_Please,' _His face came and gone once more, _'I need more energy.'_

His smile flashed for the fourth time. _'Please give me more energy!'_

She finally made it to her aching legs. It was a miracle it didn't fall apart. They were technically on fire. Now all she had to do was attempt and cross her fingers for success.

But… how? If she moved, she'll just collapse again. She needed more ener –

"Strike, Neji."

Palm met chest.

Back thudded the ground.

Her eyes clutched in agony. Her fresh blood leaking from the corner of her young lips.

"Again." She barely heard him. She barely heard her father. His voice sounded so distant, as if he was shouting from the arisen.

It had a faint echo to it, like an enclosed space recoiling his harsh words. Those little details she could pick up, and yet, she could barely pick _herself_ up.

"Move it, Hinata."

Her body couldn't go on any longer. It was a mess. It always ended up as a mess during Sundays. She hated these days of the week. The only day she was not on her team, when she was expected to rest for Monday. That 'rest', was 'this'. This was how she rested, by not resting until the end of the day.

"Get up, you lousy child!"

"A-Ah…" She tried muttering, but she was too out of breath, and she was struggling to even inhale for her burning lungs. Was she turning blue? Was she going to die right now? She kept thinking like that during every Sunday, but it never happened.

Surprisingly.

Was she _that innovative_? Or was she _that lucky_? She didn't know. All she knew was if she didn't get up soon, she'll be _beaten up _until she _got up._

She tried thinking happy thoughts. She tried giving that oomph her body needed to keep going like always.

She thought.

His pale face flashed forth.

Think.

Flash.

Happy.

Flash.

Thoughts.

Flash.

She couldn't really tell if he was happy or unhealthy thoughts. It certainly made her happy to see his face, even if it was in her mind. But he was the only thing she could think about.

_Excuse m-me, but p-please accept this b-b-bento as an a-apology for my a-actions the other d-d-day._

Was that even healthy? Having a constant thought? A constant mental idea that made you feel happy? Was there not a limit to how much happiness an individual could feel once a lifetime?

_I-I-I… I j-just would l-like to make up f-for the sc-ene I created y-yesterday. So please, f-find it in your h-heart to for-g-give me?_

"I'm warning you, Hinata. Get up, or else!"

That wouldn't be a problem though. All of her thinking gave her enough of a boost her struggling being needed to continue with. With one more attempt in her body, she burnt some chakra so she may move for an attempt.

She ended in the same position she started.

What a surprise.

"Stop." Hiashi said suddenly. "Let us take our daily sixty second break. Here you go, Neji… daughter."

A bottle of water was placed next to her.

She used what little chakra she had to look to her left.

Water.

Her dry lips needed it. It _craved _for it. Her tongue couldn't even lick her dehydrated mouth for preparation. She was _so _tired. She reached out with a shaky hand.

G-G-G-G-G-G-Grrrr…

…

Grab.

Yes. She got enough kinetic energy in her grasp to lift it up.

She reached out with another hand.

It collided with the top.

Force was needed to loosen the enclosed top.

She tried. And tried. And tried. And _tried_.

Too… tired.

But… she was… _so thirsty!_

He flashed again.

Her mental thought somehow gave her an idea.

She technically dropped the bottle's top against her mouth, grip still alive.

Her breath huffing against all odds, her chest heaving like a howling gale. She tightened her teeth around the top as much as her body would allow her to.

She tried to pull.

'_C'mon! Please open!'_

He flashed again.

Her eyes widened a bit.

It opened.

Yes, finally, water–

"Time's up."

Wait, wasn't there a bottle in her hand just then?

Oh… oh yeah, time's up. Man, almost had it that time.

"Now get up."

Her wobbly legs got up.

For the hundredth time–

Oof!

Neji struck her right against her chest, like always, but it was more different than the previous ones. This one, really hurt.

And she meant _really_.

Oof!

Well, at least she got to three digits, right?

Or was that the eighty-second time?

She really couldn't remember anymore.

All she remembered was her last glimpses of the entire Sunday being the clear blue sky before life became dark and empty.

But at least…

He flashed _one… more… time._

…Ken-kun was here with her.

With Hyuga Hinata.

Right?

Right?

…_Right…?_

-Empty-

_Knock. Knock._

_Creak._

"_Dinner's here."_

"…"

_A plate was placed on his lap._

"_Eat."_

"…"

"_I said, eat."_

"…"

_She growled threateningly. "Eat, or else!"_

"…"

_His wrist was suddenly flung toward a pair of chopsticks laying coolly in the moderately heated plate._

"_Eat!"_

_He gave her a glance._

_Her opened for words, but ended up inhaling air._

_His face. It was, pale. No, not pale, what was the right word? Lifeless. That's right. Life had literally been sucked out of him if his dark circles below his eyes, and blank orbs were anything to go by._

_He didn't look like that before. Why was it so?_

"_What, what's going on? Are you feeling okay?"_

_She carelessly felt his forehead, then instinctively pulled away immediately as contact was called to command._

_That was insanely hot._

_He had a temperature._

_The child was sick as hell._

_Shit!_

_Then, his head fell backward, and he was out. Not to dreamland._

_But _blank-land_._

_A land he named himself, with no rejuvenation of energy, or wonder of thoughts spiraling irregularly._

_Not like how he was told sleeping provided, or his constant daydreaming._

_At least the land was no where near as bad as the land of the living._

_Maybe this time he would finally stay put and not return to the graveyard-like world he shared with haters._

_Maybe this time he would finally be liberated._

_Maybe…_

…_That's all he could hope for._

-Empty-

"Gosh, Onee-chan! Why did you need _me _to come along shopping with you?" Mimiru pouted childishly, crossing her arms as she watched her onee-chan search for the necessary items.

"It wasn't my idea." She said calmly, eyes still moving from side-to-side. "All I wanted to do was do the shopping for once, but mom suggested that you should come along."

"I know." The little girl sighed. "Sorry that I'm being so difficult, but I really wanted to finish that picture of me and hubby having four kids in one _big_ mansion!" She extended her arms with exaggerating effort, Sakura chuckling at such a ridiculous mentioning, but a bolt of lightning struck her brain as soon as it realized what the implications meant.

"Wait, you didn't _actually _drew yourself and Kenjo having… you know…?"

"Hmm?" She cocked her head to the side. "Know what, Onee-chan?"

"…You know what, never mind." Of course Mimiru didn't mean _s-sex_. That would just be obscene. She was too young to know about that. Then again, the girl was already eight years old, and probably came across the concept somehow on the street. But Sakura highly doubted it.

Chuckling, the pink-haired Kunoichi shook her head. Honestly, sometimes she scared herself with what her mind could speculate with such low indication. She really needed to keep herself in check around Mimiru though, if she expected her mouth to stay clean from inappropriate germs her brain might transfer whilst they hung out, which thankfully, was becoming more frequent than before. Still, she should probably schedule some time for training. Sakura wouldn't want to slack o–

Oof!

W-Wha? What was that?

She crashed into something with her trolley. Was it another one? Oh crud, it was!

"S-S-S-Sorry, I didn't look where I was going! Please, forgive my carelessness."

"That's f-fine. It w-was my fault also for ignoring m-my surroundings like th-that."

Huh?

That voice…

Her eyes shot open, standing up straight from her frantic bowing.

Kenjo.

"Kennii-chan!" Mimiru rushed in like a speed demon, leaping into the Genin's midsection, little arms and legs wrapped around like a neatly tightened bow dressed in clothing. "Oh my Kami, I missed you _sssooooooooooo _much!"

"H-Hey there, Mimi-chan." Ken chuckled sheepishly, embracing her awkwardly with one hand on the girl's back. "How've you b-been?"

"Good, but now I'm great now that you are here!" She looked up from her wrapped form, a bright blush defining her adoringly round face.

"That's n-nice to here." He ended up patted her head, her tail swaying even more livelier along with her glowing cheeks.

The girl purred affectionately, enjoying his gentle touch to it's full extent.

He smiled genuinely at her vibrating presence, but soon looked up at his fellow Genin. "K-Konnichiwa Sakura-chan, fancy b-bumping into you here."

"Hi." She gave him a friendly smile, her sister's infatuation really spreading like the aroma of rich chocolate, yet only one person was feeling it to the highest peak. "Yeah, I guess it is. I didn't know you shop here though."

"A-Actually, this is my first t-time here." He noticed the tightening of the affectionate girl below him, but he simply waved it off as her way of avoiding a fall. For that reason, he held her closer, which momentarily sped the swaying of her tail. "I'm just running a-a quick errand f-for someone."

"So it's not for yourself?" Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Is it for Naruko?"

"Eh? N-No, it's not." He answered, Mimiru's head starting to rub up and down his covered chest as if she was attempting to friction her way to his heart that was beating absolutely romantically in her ear, if she did say so herself. Her continued purring never took a break. "It's just s-something I volun-t-teered to do for Mikoto."

"Mikoto?" Her once confused orbs bulged widely with hazarding shock, "Wait, you can't possibly mean Uchiha-sama, Sasuku's mother?"

"Y-Yeah." He nodded, his friendly smile never leaving his features. "What, i-is there something wr-wrong?"

"_You_ are doing the head of the Uchiha of all people a favor? _How_? And what's with the informal remark?"

"Huh? What d-do you…?" Oh yeah, he ended up referring their mother as Mikoto instead of Mikoto-sama or Ms. Uchiha ever since she requested it from him. He guessed it just became so repetitive that he didn't notice the dangerous fundamental urgency to separate his informal regard of her from his public display. He was glad it was just a friend who heard him, since others might not approve of his mentioning of one of the top clans of Konohagakure to be so… casual. The last thing he wanted was for the villagers to have another reason to hate him even further. "W-Well, it's kind o-of a long story, b-but in any case, l-let's keep i-it between us, o-okay?"

"Can I be part of it too?"

Ken glanced down. Big sparkling eyes practically begged him for acceptance.

His heart skipped several beats.

Moe. Moe. Too much _moe!_

"Ur huh, sure y-you can. But you h-have to pinky p-promise, okay?"

Her head bobbed sporadically without friction. He reached out with his pinky raised. She grasped it with her own tiny one, her sweet small smile exhibiting below her red decoration.

He smiled brightly. _'She sure is too cute for her own good, huh?'_

Her heart skipped several fluttering beats in response. _'Gosh, how can someone be so handsomely attractive and get away with it!? It's technically criminal to be like this!'_

Sakura grinned at the adorable scene. That was just too cute. Wait, something smelled. Was that… smoke? Hang on, something's burning nearby. What in the world could it b–

Her eyes laid upon the little eight year old. Haze was radiating from… her? But, how? Her face… Wait, why was her face all red and… _steamy!?_

Visible steam left the girl's cat-like ears like it was overcooking something from within.

"Mimiru, are you catching a flu or something?"

"Eh?" The female in question somehow broke her gaze from the magnificent redness her future hubby held in his magical eyes, cocking an eyebrow at her onee-chan. "What do you mean, Onee-chan? I feel perfectly fine!" She chirped, Sakura's eyes ending up on the rapidly pacing tail behind her sister. It was as if the thing was a furry, bending sword that was desperately trying to cut through something that was not there.

'_Hang on,' _She looked back at the somehow happy, but 'boiling' girl's face, _'Is she actually blushing that furiously?' _Her mouth hung open a bit, amazed by the exuding feelings Mimiru held for the Genin. _'Wow, she really likes him, huh?'_

The thought entered her core, and Sakura soon shook her head in denial. _'Nope. This is just puppy love. Simple puppy love. Sure, it might be one huge overloading sense of puppy love, but it was puppy love nonetheless. I have to stop this before things get more complicated between the two.'_

Sakura had planned to talk with the girl ever since her chat with Naori, but she couldn't muster the courage to break the little child's heart. She was too happy, her drawings were proof enough. She couldn't take that happiness away from her, from her delicate sister. The cat-like kid deserved to be happy.

She deserved all of it.

Damn. Just thinking about it was making her chicken out again. Either she stopped her attempts completely or this whole predicament. She had to make her choice as soon as possible.

As soon as they got home.

But which one should she choose?

One thing was for certain though. She wasn't going to like the outcome.

As soon as they left the store and departed with Kenjo, a joyful Mimiru lively skipping next to her, Sakura's mind had been made up.

It was time.

She sighed.

It was _definitely _time.

-Empty-

"I'm b-back." Ken slid the door open, bags in hand as he kicked his shoes off to the side to allow access to the rest of the structure.

"Oh, welcome back, Ken-kun." Mikoto approached, cloth drying her wet hands. "Gosh, I really apologize for giving you such a task. You're probably exhausted, aren't you, you poor thing? Here, let me help you with that."

"N-No, that's fine, M-Mikoto." He denied gently, moving the bags away from her reach and making his way to the kitchen. "And you d-don't need to apologize for a-anything. I volunteered a-after all."

"I know," She gave him a sad smile, "but you're our guest, Ken-kun, so you shouldn't be doing any work in general."

"But I w-want to." He smiled reassuringly, putting the bags on the counter. "Besides, M-Mikoto deserves a-a break now and th-then."

She smiled warmly at that. "You're too much, deary."

Knock. Knock.

"No," He gave her pause in her movement, "l-let I."

"Well, if you are sure." Mikoto watched the Genin leave the room with a content smile still present on her face. Yup, he definitely has changed for the better. Was her plan even necessary then? He wasn't in need for the seal to be released, so their safety would be intact from here on out, right?

Well, she would want to believe so, but her obligation wasn't to be positive. It was to be sure. _Certain_. Which meant she had to keep pulling the strings for the top. For everyone's well being.

For Ken-kun's well being.

Slide.

Ken greeted the visitor with welcoming eyes, but when agnization struck, he nearly dropped out of surprise.

"Ken?"

"N-Naruko?"

**-Empty-**

**End of Chapter**

**Wow. Too much calmness. Next chapter, the storm will commence, and I am almost certain it would be full of anxiety. Hopefully.**

**After all, romance is merely tertiary for this story. Anyway, thanks for reading, it means a lot to me to know that people are at least glancing at my fanfic.**

**Until next time.**

**-Narurific-**


	10. Interventional Coincidence

**Chapter 10**

**Interventional Coincidence**

**-Empty-**

"N-Naruko?" Ken kept staring, the implication not able to find shelter within his mind. Wait, he wasn't really hallucinating then? This was actually Naruko? His friend, Naruko? Who had a mutual grudge against Sasuku-chan? But if so, why was she here of all places? Was she running an errand? She couldn't be here on her own accord, right? Would it be really that farfetched though? I mean, it wasn't as if she was banned from visiting, much less to step foot on their property.

But still, Naruko despised her teammate enough to try and avoid anything that involved the Uchiha, right? Or at least, that was what sort of vibe he got when she showed her distaste. So why then? Well, he supposed there was only one way to find out.

"W-What are you doing h-here?"

"I could ask the same thing to you." She sub-consciously furrowed at the insinuation. "What are you doing in Sasuku-teme's home?"

"Well, I-I…" Damn his impediment. It sounded as if his nervous bones were rattling some form of excuse, if his trailing off wasn't enough inference. It wasn't really an excuse, right? Well, not in _that _kind of way, where _he _was the perpetrator. I mean, he guessed he agreed to stay over, but it was Saku-chan's request for his 'sleepover', not his. Shit. What a selfless thing to say, throwing his moe student under the bus like that. He supposed he should just take the hit, as any loyal sensei would, regardless who dealt it.

But as his mouth decided to verbalize his 'surrender', he realized how silly it was to get so riled up over something that should have nothing to do with Naruko in the first place. Sure, he was on the turf of her rival, and the fact that he was wearing one of said rival's everyday clothing– Mikoto insisted on stitching his slightly torn fabric– but despite all of these details, Ken really didn't see anything criminal about this dilemma.

At the end of the day, Sasuku-chan was their teammate, and no amount of spitefulness could change that. So there was no reason for Naruko to quote on quote interrogate him just because he was spending a day at the Uchiha, if her tone was any indication. This was all based on her feelings for the 'teme', and her momentary glare he caught sight of supposedly aimed at his presence in the 'teme's' territory.

"I'm j-just visiting for th-the meantime."

Naruko glanced at his clothing. "I remember Sasuku-teme wearing the same outfit once. Care to explain the 'coincidence' of the matching clothes?" She kept furrowing, her eyebrows becoming more and more narrow.

"My c-clothes are being s-stitched closed." He stayed calm as he could, her expression not helping one bit.

"…So this is what you've been doing all the time." Her face took form of sudden revelation.

"Excuse m-me?"

"Each time I asked you to hang out with me, to simply get a bite to eat with me, you ditch me for _her._" Her glare returned.

"I d-don't… what are y-you talking about, N-Naruko?"

"Is that why you're addressing me like that? Because I'm not enough? Not worthy of your presence?!" Her palms clenched, denial beginning to turn into furious acceptance.

"W-Worthy?" He was becoming more confused by each word. "I d-don't understand what you're s-s-saying."

"It's fine." Her eyes became shadowed. "I understand what's going on now."

"N-Naruko?" She was scaring him a little, her cryptic replies crawling under his skin. Where was this all coming from? Unworthy? Not being enough? Not being enough for what? "Listen, I–"

"I said it's _fine_." She repeated more sternly, causing Ken to flinch. Naruko turned her back to the green preteen, a waterfall threatening to burst through. She wasn't going to cry, she wasn't going to cry, _she wasn't going to CRY!_ "I came to ask Sasuku something, but I already got what I wanted. Good day, Ken."

"N-N-N-N-N–" Fuck! He bit his lip in frustration.

"Forget I even came here."

Shunshin.

She was gone before he could even reach out.

"Who was that, deary?" Mikoto popped out of the corner, just to witness the fleeing form of Ken-kun leaving in a rush. "K-Ken-kun!" She called in confusion, but the boy didn't turn back. Why would he? Something was wrong with Naruko. He needed to find her. He needed to find his friend.

Right NOW!

-Empty-

"_Hey, Ken, wanna eat at Ichiraku Ramen with me?"_

"_Ichi-r-raku Ram-e-en?"_

"_Yeah!" She smirked widely. "It's this cool place that sells, well, ramen. So, wanna come?"_

"_I-I…" He fidgeted nervously, "Is it o-okay for me t-to?"_

"_Huh? Of course! Why would you ask that?"_

"_W-Well…" He looked down in dismay, "N-Nobody likes m-me very much."_

"_Pfft, don't be silly." She waved him off. "They're not like the people who are too blind to see how cool you are."_

"_Eh?" His eyes bulged. "Y-You… you think I-I'm… c-c-cool…?"_

"_Well, duh." She said as a matter-of-factly. "Of course you are, silly. Your coolness is probably too bright for them to realize it. Make sense condensidering they are unfortunately blind."_

"_Consider-i-ing."_

"_Yeah, that's it. Besides, they're super amazing. Ojii-san even let's me sometimes put it on the bill, whatever that means. Awesome thing about it though is that you don't need to pay for the lunch."_

"_W-Well… I always b-believe you, so I g-guess I'll c-come with you, that i-is, if you'll a-allow me to."_

"_Yaata!" She cheered, grabbing ahold of his hand. "So I guess this is our first date then."_

"_D-Date?" He cocked an eyebrow, the blonde happily dragging him along._

"_Yeah, a date." She smiled back at him. "It's something I overheard lately. Basically, it's when two people who likes each other very much go to places they really enjoy."_

"_Oh…"_

_Then, he supposed this was his first ever date. Something he never could share with someone until now._

_A smile crossed his face. Maybe this was really going to be fun. Going on a date with his only true friend._

_What a wonderful feeling it was._

-Empty-

"Mimiru, you awake?"

"Oh, hi, Onee-chan!" Mimiru flashed a bright smile to the peeking Sakura behind her bedroom door. "Don't worry, I just wanna finish this picture before I hit the hay. What do you think so far?"

She revealed the piece of art, the sheet a spiraling mixture of red hearts and colored figures appearing to lock lips.

"Oh, it's nice." She chuckled nervously, the doodle causing the difficulty to increase tenfold, if the pasted images on the walls had not before. _'Damn it, Mimiru. Don't make this more harder than it already is!'_ She still thought this was a bad idea, but then again, the alternative was equally if not even worse than her current decision. No no, she told herself it was time to pull the plug, and Sakura would be damned if she lost commitment. "Hey, could I talk to you about something, Mimiru?"

"Wait, can I say something first, Onee-chan?" The little neko sat up instinctively, the indication becoming apparent to her.

"Oh… well, okay then, I guess." Sakura took the time to sit down as well, the art space again being the 'table' between the two.

The small girl appeared to be bubbling with impatience, her mouth ready to burst with excitement. Finally, the words couldn't take the drag anymore. "Guess who's going to the Academy?"

"Huh?" The kunoichi raised an eyebrow. "You?"

"That's right!" She jumped in place, clapping her hands rapidly. "I asked mommy if I could attend the Ninja Academy and she said yes!"

"Wait, she agreed to send you to the _Academy?"_ Her previous response was just a guess, if not, somewhat sarcastic. She didn't expect a 'ding ding ding', let alone an answer, since the question literally came out of the blue. A simple, 'I don't know' might have ended the 'joking query' on a good note, and yet, she knew it was a long shot to vote it on a mere joke, especially with the swaying tail going back and forth with a ridiculous amount of life in it.

"Well, I had to persuade her a couple of times, but she thankfully ended up deciding to doc my papers for my attendance. This coming week I'm going to be a full-fledged Academy student!"

"But… but first semester is nearly finished!"

"I'll find a way to catch up." She smiled with over-confidence.

"I doubt it, and why would you even consider being a ninja? You're better off being an artist than anything else. And what about elementary school? What about _any other _school?" She asked almost frantically, since Mimiru skills were not very… well, no need to finish that thought. If their parents finally decided to send the sick child to a learning industry, the Ninja Academy would be the last option she thought they would choose.

"That's nice of you to say, Onee-chan, me being an actual artist, that is." She said with a look of gratitude. "But my mind's made up. I'm going to become the greatest kunoichi there ever was!" The little cat girl puffed out her PJ covered chest.

"I don't… understand. What made you think this was a good idea, Mimiru?" Anger had slowly boiled through her tone, her expression becoming more upset. What was this girl thinking? Becoming a ninja?! What kind of crazy reason did she have for attempting to cross such a path in the first place? Being a Shinobi wasn't about having fun, it was about serving your village to the utmost of your ability. Trialing yourself against foe after foe, bloodshed after bloodshed, death after death. It was a depressing path riddled with indecisive mannerisms filled with the dark truth of reality. That was deep, she knew that, but it was true. Being a warrior meant you should be prepared to take on undesirable hardships being thrown from life itself.

She only chose this path because of her passion to do good for her hometown. With skills she had and later might pick up to fend for yourself, her comrades, and the innocent. Strip away all of those sentimental values and what have you got? A difficult life of inconveniently tainted purity meant for the mental destruction of the weak. Sakura knew what she had gotten herself into, but even if the world was against her, her mind was made up. She was meant to be a formidable ninja.

Mimiru however, wasn't. She couldn't be. She was a drawer, a future artist. Sure, it could be a hobby, but it was something she enjoyed very much. The decorated walls spoke volume after all, even if they were only ornamented by a single theme. If the fragile girl in front of Sakura put her mind to it, she could expand her horizons to an even greater experience, ranging from talented illustrator, to a legendary idol in the art district. She might be too optimistic with that assortment, but she didn't care.

So long as Mimiru didn't ruin her life with ridiculous feats she would never reach. Not to be negative or anything, but the girl was too of an innocent angel for the outside world. She shouldn't be stripped of her liveliness like that. Not like this. Not with pain.

Not with apparently unbridled death.

Besides, she was too sick and fragile to be any sort of a threat. She wasn't a fighter. Mimiru never was one. She never showed any potential in terms of ninja mobility before, and probably for good reason too. The child possibly couldn't mold her chakra. Granted the girl might not have tried before, but that shouldn't, she repeat, _shouldn't_, give Mimiru a valid motive to try in the first place.

Yes, she knew Kenjo couldn't mold either– it was a real wonder how he even got an adequate pass back at the Academy– but that green haired guy was different. Comparing the two questioned persons was like comparing a bowling ball to a feather. Yeah, they both were going to fall eventually, but one had more resistance than the other, hence as the older sibling, Sakura just couldn't accept her sister to be targeted by such predictable dread if her non-wavering aim kept laying upon that damned ninja headband.

Now that she thought about it, wasn't Sakura about to conceivably ruin the eight year old's life with how 'unhealthy' her feelings for Kenjo were anyway? _'No, I have no choice on this one. At least Mimiru could choose a better occupation for her life, and not throw it away with the deaths of other deceased ninja! Again, I know it's going to be difficult to take in, but if she is mature enough to continue her feelings for him, then she should be mature enough to let go of them, or at least understand how futile they are.'_

What Sakura heard next snapped her out of her train of thought.

"Well," Mimiru looked down at her fidgeting feet, a light shy blush beaming forth, "I guess a certain handsome ninja opened the doors to my true calling in life."

"Handsome nin… you don't mean Kenjo?"

She nodded with a dreamy expression, her ears twitching down with introverted joy at the mentioning of her incredible hubby's name.

"What did he do?" Sakura was almost afraid of asking.

"Aside from giving me energy each day that passes, sending funny feelings down my tummy, and many more? Nothing much I guess. It wasn't really a direct influence of my choice, but seeing his gorgeous face back at the store earlier today gave me a spark of recognition. A spark that made me want to push myself to the brink of what I can do. To become inspirational just like how my hubby is. To become someone who everyone can look up to, just like Kennii-chan. And what better way than to become the best kunoichi there ever was!" She twirled on her heel, feelings of decisive affection spiraling like a heart-filled tornado in her stomach at the mere thought of his gorgeous face smiling upon her.

"Mimiru…" Sakura didn't even know how to react to that, her fluttering performance displaying her as some sort of high school girl lost in an abyss of love. What better way? Anyone could be an important pillar to society no matter your path, hence being a kunoichi wasn't a _must_ just to inspire others. Why would Mimiru think like that? _'Man, her infatuation holds no limits. Or maybe Kenjo is just some bad influence all around. Which is exactly why I should end it before it really gets Mimiru any more deeper in the pit of regret and many other adverse implications.'_

At least the young adopted Haruno gave Sakura ample fuel for her 'bad cop' decision. _'But sometimes you just have to do bad things for the greater good.'_

"Listen, Mimiru, there's something I really have to tell you."

"Sure." The girl in question decided to sit down, the high she was feeling slowly subsiding, as evidence by her tail-swaying becoming more peaceful in it's back and forth manner. "What do Onee-chan wanna talk about?"

"Well…" It was now or never, she supposed, "…I wanted to talk about your 'crush'."

"Hmm? Crush?" Mimiru cocked her head cutely. "I don't remember breaking anything?"

"No," She shook her head, "I mean your affection for Kenjo."

"Oh, my love for my future hubby? It's not a _crush_, silly Onee-chan," Mimiru giggled cutely, "it's true love."

"No, it's not." The pink-haired furrowed at how laid back the girl was about this whole thing, her denotation attempting to be more stern. "These feelings are not healthy to have, Mimiru."

"Huh? I… I don't understand."

"Of course you don't." Sakura sighed. "It's fine to have puppy love for people you idolize a lot, but if it becomes heavy like yours, it's means won't have any sort of happy ending."

"I still don't get it." The little feline girl seemed genuinely confused, her onee-chan's attempts not getting through yet.

"What I'm trying to say is that you should stop your feelings toward Kenjo as soon as possible."

"Eh?" The sentence steadily came to fruition in Mimiru's brain, the meaning more sudden than the arrival. Wait, onee-chan didn't mean… heh, this was a joke, wasn't it? A bad joke, right? "Heh," She giggled nervously, "you almost got me there, Onee-chan. Gosh, you're so funny sometimes."

"Mimiru," She glared even further, sending unintentional discomfort down the girl's spine, "I'm being serious here. Look at what you're doing. Putting yourself in danger _real _Shinobi should undergo just because your little feelings for Kenjo got in the way. Not to mention the significant age difference. You have to stop feeling for him otherwise you're going to do something stupid, if you haven't already. Besides, he might not even like you in the same way. It's better if you just forget about ever crushing over him in the first place, Mimiru."

"…"

"I just… don't want to see you get hurt. If not for me, then do it for yourself. Do you… do you understand where I'm coming from?"

"…"

"…Mimiru…?"

The girl just kept staring at the kunoichi with a silent blankness written all over her face. It was as if the neko was frozen in time, an uninterrupted moment between two single seconds. It was actually scary how unresponsive Mimiru was, which worried Sakura even further.

"Mimiru, I–"

"Get out."

"…Huh?"

"I said get out."

Her voice, it held no emotion behind it, just like her unreadable expression. "Mimiru, please, I didn't–"

"Get down." Her voice rose, morphing from plain to stern, with a deadly amount of warning.

"Mi–"

Sakura tried insisting, but a sudden growing gust somehow released itself in the room. The lying papers flowing rhythmically with the wind.

"_I said __**GET OUT**_."

What the hell was that? Her voice, Mimiru's voice held some sort of uncharacteristic unfamiliarity behind it. An unfamiliarity that somehow contained an echo of unparalleled deepness. It was as if there was someone else on a mic perfectly syncing their spine crawling, ominously echoing voice with the little girl's, who alone currently vesseled a threatening tone. "Please Mimiru, ju–"

"**GET OUT!**"

What happened next was just an unbelievable turn of events. Sakura was literally shoved roughly out of the room by nothing but the incomprehensible gust hitting her in the face, the door closing with a quaking slam.

…Nani…?

Sakura just stared at the door as if it they were playing a life-threatening game of a staring contest.

What in the fresh hell just happened…!?

"_I…" _She mumbled, _"I think I just broke her…"_

-Empty-

The sound of a shoji door caught their attention.

Sakuri was the first to rush recklessly toward the front door, her sensei's presence blessing her vision. _"Sensei!" _She said just above a whisper, snapping her body against his with a tight embrace.

"A-Ah, Saku-chan?" He raised an eyebrow at the sudden behavior from her. "What's the m-matter?"

She muttered something in his chest, which he palpably couldn't make out.

"What w-was that?"

She lifted her gaze toward his face. "I said how could you ask me something like that when you clearly made us worry."

"Huh? I d-don't get it."

"I saw you rush out, Ken-kun." Mikoto showed up, along with a dragging Sasuku. "I was afraid whoever you were interacting with before made you upset or something. We didn't what was happening, so we were worried about you, deary."

"I didn't really worry all that much." Sasuku averted her gaze annoyingly.

"Oh." Ken said with understanding. "Well, I-I'm touched you g-guys would care e-enough to w-worry about me."

"Of course we care, you silly doofus." Saku-chan used her recently playful nickname, but her expression wasn't one of carefreeness. It was one of those occasional glares she gave him. "What kind of student doesn't care about their amazing sensei?"

Ken took a moment to process the reversed information _he_ usually told _her_, a chuckle escaping his lips. "I guess y-you're right."

"Who was that, Ken-kun?" Mikoto asked with concern.

"It…" He bit his lip, "…it was N-Naruko, my f-friend."

"Wait, the idiot was here?" Sasuku-chan asked, genuinely surprised.

"Is she not the third member of your team, Kennii-sensei?"

"Y-Yeah." He looked down at his student with a glint of depression in his red orbs.

"Well? What did she want, Dead Last?" Sasuku inquired impatiently.

"She d-didn't say."

"What? What do you mean she didn't say?"

"Naru-k-ko and I e-ended up in an a-argument. She w-was act-i-ing really w-weird, saying sh-she wasn't enough and n-not worthy of something. I didn't g-get the chance t-to ask her about it before sh-she just up a-and left."

"Strange, even for the idiot." Sasuku-chan stroked her mental chin.

"Was that why you left, honey? Because you wanted to talk to her?" Mikoto asked curiously.

"Yeah." Ken looked up at the woman, the mother of two effortlessly seeing the hurt in his eyes. "I couldn't f-find her. She w-was too fast for me." He glanced back down, looking right passed the anxious look of Saku-chan. "If only I-I was faster, if o-only I was m-more than a poor e-excuse of a Shinobi, I m-might have not l-lost her. I c-could have talked th-things out with her and c-clear the air. If o-only… if only I c-could _mold my ch-chakra._"

All three women had different levels of sympathy radiating from them, but despite this, none of them had less concern for Ken than the other.

"Don't fret too much, deary." Mikoto gave a small sad smile. "I'm sure all Naruko needs is some time alone. If she really needed a shoulder to lean on, she would've stuck around long enough for you to give one to her. Besides, tomorrow is your Team Meeting, so you'll have plenty of time to speak to her."

Ken glanced up at the beautiful woman in front of him, a smile creeping on his face. "Yeah, I guess M-Mikoto's right. Arigatou go-z-zaimashita." He would have bowed in respect to her relieving speech, but a certain cutie tied to his waist kept him from doing so. Regardless, he tried, and amusingly failed, groaning in playful annoyance.

They ended up laughing at his dismay, and yes, that included Sasuku as well, albeit it was low chuckles.

'_I hope so.' _Ken thought after the moment died down. "I g-guess it's getting l-late." He mentioned out of realization, averting to the beautiful mother of his now less than emo teammate. "That r-reminds me, is M-Mikoto-chan done w-with my c-clothing yet?"

What he received instead of an expected answer was three sets of bright redness below pitch black orbs. He didn't know why they were blushing so suddenly, that included the usually introverted Sasuku-chan, especially if it happened simultaneously. Ken could practically feel the exposed heat warming it's way through his hugged garments, courtesy of his too-cute-for-comfort student.

"W-What is it?"

"Did you… just _flirt _with my _mother?!"_ Sasuku growled like a lion stalking it's prey. Let he tell you, if there was one thing Ken was scared of aside from Sasuku-chan's intimidating expectations, was vicious lions, and boy, were the two a nightmarish combination.

"I-I didn't… but I… what did I-I do?"

"_So Kennii-sensei likes older women…" _He barely heard Saku-chan whispered below him.

"W-What? No I d-don't!" He blushed furiously at the accusation. "I mean, n-not in _th-that way!"_

"What is the big idea using such an informal honorific, Dead Last?!" Sasuku took a menacing step forward. "Using my mother's name without a suffix I somehow managed to tolerate, but _this?! _Who do you think you are, hitting on her!"

"Please Sasuku, calm down." Mikoto attempted to defuse the walking, ticking time bomb.

"I didn't m-mean to o-offend anyone! It j-just kinda slipped out! Please b-believe me!" He panicked at the slowly approaching Uchiha, but Saku-chan held him tightly.

"I-I can act mature too, you know!?" Sakuri said desperately, hugging him so possessively it felt as if Ken's guts were going to spew out any second now. "I can cook as well. I-I… I can get a job too! I can…" She blushed deeply, lowering her voice, "I can do things adults do also! If you… if y-you want to do those kinds of th-things now, we can go in my r-room to do it."

"Nani!?" Ken nearly fell over despite the grip she had on him. "I d-don't even know wh-where to begin with th-that."

"You pedo!" Sasuku growled even louder, fire flickering in her eyes. "Taking advantage of such a young girl! _Despicable hentai!"_

"B-But I didn't–" He raised his hands in defense, Sasuku-chan being dangerously close for a one punch death attack.

"Calm down, you two!" Mikoto's voice stopped the three in their tracks, their heads turning to attention. "I mean," She smiled with a light blush, "I don't mind if you called me Mikoto-chan if it'll make you happy, Ken-kun."

…

NNNAAAAAAANNNNNNIIIIIIIIIIIII!?

-Empty-

"_So, how was it?"_

"_Hmm? How w-was what?"_

"_The ramen, silly." She giggled._

"_Oh, good, I g-guess."_

"_Glad you liked it." She gave him a satisfied smile. "And Ojii-san and Ayamenee-chan were nice enough to put it on our bill. I still think it's weird for him to put the price on a duck's bill though."_

_He chuckled, then ended up laughing._

"_Huh? What's so funny?" She looked at his amused expression. His laughter was like music to her young ears, but she still became curious as to why he suddenly erupted out like that._

"_No, it's nothing, s-sorry." He calmed down. Gosh, was his friend funny as heck._

"_So, would you… you know, join me next time too?"_

"_Join you? To e-eat at Ichi-r-raku's?"_

"_Yeah… that is, if you want to…"_

_She stared at her slowly pacing feet shyly, their duo strolling taking them to a secluded part of Konoha. They were all alone, two friends sharing each other's company._

"_Well, sure. If th-that's what you want…"_

"_Really?" She glanced up with hopeful eyes sparkling his way._

"_Of c-course. Let's do this e-everyday, okay?"_

"_Everyday…?" Her eyes widened. "Having a date everyday…" She broke into a splitting smile. "Pinky promise?"_

_Her finger rose._

First it became Sundays.

_He smiled warmly._

Then…

_He grabbed her pinky with his._

"_Pinky promise."_

-Empty-

…The past week. What was next? The next month? The next year?

…Forever…?

She didn't know. She didn't want to know if it meant one of the above, especially the last. She just wanted it to stop. She wanted her times with him back.

Uzumaki Naruko wanted her Ken back.

The sparkling night looked down upon her loathing form, her arms hugging her legs tightly on top of her apartment's roof. It was as if it called her the way she averted upward. All she saw was hope in millions of fragments scattered above the cold windy night.

If only she could grab one of them, any one of them, if it meant her Ken would come back to her. The Ken she knew, not the Ken right now. Was that what she was expected to do to bring him back? To reach a star and grasp it? She'll do it if that was accurate enough. She didn't know how she'll accomplish such feat, but Kami damn, would she try. _And _succeed.

For him.

Only for her Kenny-kun.

A chuckle escaped her dehydrated lips. Wow, when last had she used that nickname before? She could still remember how close they were back then. When everything made sense in the world, and nothing didn't.

Now it was the complete opposite.

Naruko sub-consciously reached out with one hand, but as expected, the randomly designated star was too far for her good. She clutched the air nonetheless.

"Kenny-kun…" She used it again, the name so fond, yet a painful reminder of the current comparison. Her eyes began to water.

"Don't worry, my Kenny-kun…" She smiled through depressed eyes, her orbs suffering from immense hurt along with her pounding heart. A sudden red aura faintly cloaked her being. "…if changing from this 'boring' me means that you'll notice me again, then so help me Kami I _will _be the best version of your desires there ever was. For my name isn't Uzumaki Naruko!"

She smirked wider, the fiery determination in her eyes burning the wet liquid it produced into forgotten vapor.

Just like _old her_.

"_Believe it, 'ttebayo!"_

-Empty-

_His eyelids acted like a snail with such a slow departure, his head feeling as if a boulder just turned it into a pancake._

_What just… happened?_

_Why did he feel like right now was a Monday morning? Only times a trillion. He looked to his left, then right, and spotted a young girl round about his age. She was sleeping, a stuffed puppy in her clutching arms. Her peacefulness was comforting in some odd way, her soft breathing like an aspirin for his painful headache._

_He tried sitting up, but recoiled when the migraine became more intense. "Ah!" He voiced, the girl's fluttering eyes opened due to the sudden sound._

"_Wah!? Huh?" Her frantic orbs laid upon his agonizing being, standing up from her seat and backing away warily. "Ah! M-Mommy! He's awake!" Her fearful orbs were sporadically fixated on his calming presence._

_The door flung open, a familiar woman came rushing in before taking cautious steps toward the resting child. "Hey, you feeling okay? You had a high fever yesterday."_

"_I…" He placed a caring hand on his hurting head, "I r-remember…"_

"_Yeah, you were really sick." She replaced the wet cloth inactively displaced on his forehead with the back of her palm instead. She sighed with relief. "Really now, how much more will you make me worry before you finally decide to cooperate?"_

"_I…" He trailed off again, looking away from her, "I didn't a-ask ma'am t-to help me."_

_She furrowed. "Well too bad, life isn't about what you want, kid, but what you get out of it. Besides, I'm doing it out of my own free will, so could you at least show a little bit of gratitude? Were you even raised properly?"_

_He kept staring away. "No…"_

_Her eyes bulged a bit. "I… I'm sorry to hear that." Of course he wasn't, you idiot! It was unfortunately expected due to what happened a while ago. It was why she was so hesitant before to lend him a hand, but she guessed a feeling buried deep inside somehow escaped and made her reconsider her choice of action. What she received however was a troublesome child with no gratefulness._

_That wasn't enough to let her feel regret of her choice however._

"_Look," She started, looking him straight in his red eye, the left being covered by a large strand of a green bang, "I don't want to force you to show thanks for what I've done, and frankly, gratitude is the last thing I want. All I want is to take care of you, Kenjo, but I can't if you don't cooperate, okay?"_

"_Why…" He began lazily, "why d-do you want to h-help someone like m-me? Someone e-everyone hates. Why i-isn't ma'am l-like the others?"_

"_Well…" She bit her lip, "because I simply _care_."_

_His eyes bulged wide._

"_I care about you, Kenjo. I don't know why. I barely even know you. But I… I just _do_, okay? So just… work with me here, _please_?"_

_The boy's eyes bulged even more as if a tremor just happened. Did she… did someone just say 'please' to him? To _HIM_!? The person who could've gone missing for several years and nobody would notice?_

"_I…" He kept staring at her face, sincerity the only thing found in that expression. And a dosage of… desperation? "Fine. I'll… I-I'll do as ma'am says."_

_As if he could practically feel it, her face took the form of relief and gratefulness. "Thank you, Kenjo."_

_He smiled, though he couldn't tell if he was giving a fake one or not. All he knew was that things just became more interesting than ever._

_He wondered how long _this _would_ _last though…_

-Empty-

He couldn't believe it. Why was he even here? Was he not supposed to be out there? Looking for her!? Looking for Naruko?! To comfort her? Lend an ear? She was obviously troubled by something, and yet, he gave up just like that. Yet, when it came to Saku-chan, he didn't even _think_ of giving up on her. I mean, it wasn't as if he didn't try, he would probably continue his search right this instant, if it wasn't for the fact that she was too fast to catch regardless. She was definitely faster and more agile than Saku-chan, who in her defense, was still too much for Ken.

_Everyone is, you loser._

This was one of those times where he wished he knew the location of her apartment; it was one of the reasons he didn't tell Saku-chan in the first place when she was in search of a tutor, he just simply didn't know. She was secretive of her home, which he understood empathetically. He kept his location a secret as well. Ken even lied that he had parents, even a father who was teaching him how to mold chakra.

_Why won't you let me help you mold your chakra? It would be so much easier if someone gave you a hand._

Naruko's words echoed in his head. _'It's not that simple, Naruko.'_ He inwardly thought, a sigh escaping his lips. He just didn't want her to waste her time on something that will never happen. He was just a normal civilian, and will _always _be one. A civilian who was trying to bite more than he could chew. Somehow she thought the world of him though. Like he was this _cool _and _fantastic _person who could do anything he put his mind to.

'_Yeah, anything, other than being a true ninja.'_

_Well, if you say so. But you know you could ask me for help anytime, okay?_

Her voice continued it's reverberating assault.

"_If o-only it was that e-easy." _He muttered.

_There's no one as cool as you._

"I'm not. D-Don't you get it?" He furrowed his closed eyes, his mouth mumbling to itself. "I never w-was," The preteen repeated his previous thought, his heart aching from the verbal acceptance.

"and n-never will be…"

Knock. Knock.

His eyes drifted toward the shoji door to his right, his head tilting in his hands that supported it despite the pillow it lied upon. "Come i-in."

It slid open, and his former night visitor entered once more, this time, her head hung slightly, her eyes wavering to the ground as she closed the door behind her.

"H-Hi." She said timidly.

"Hey." He gave Saku-chan a welcoming smile, as much as his still pacing mind could muster. "What's u-up?"

"I…" She bit her lip, her gaze not daring to avert toward her Kennii-sensei. "I had a… I had a bad dream."

He sat up, his hands supporting his upper weight from slouching down. "Oh. You w-want to talk about i-it?"

"Well…" She finally gave him a quick glance, if only out of instinct. "I'd rather forget about it."

"Oh…"

…Silence drifted through the closed window, the night's howling only gaining a slight advantage over the protective walls.

Ken made to reply, but Sakuri beat him to it.

"I was wondering… i-if I could sleep with you tonight?"

He gave her a stare, the request sending itself in his ears for the second time. She asked him before, but she didn't have a valid reason to abandon her sleeping quarters that time. This time however, it seemed legitimate enough to him to give access than to decline the question. Still, it wasn't as if he had experience sharing a bed, or his single sheet at home in that case, with someone else, so he didn't really know if he should continue to deny her out of safety than to risk being caught sleeping with said person, if there was any risk at all that is. After all, sleeping in the same building in general, excluding different apartment rooms, was still foreign to the boy. But he supposed he couldn't keep her from doing what she wanted forever.

It wasn't his abode to begin with. Besides, if sharing meant a smile on her cute little face, then so be it. "I suppose you c-can."

She sighed. "Oh. Sorry for asking again. I just… I really w-wanted to– wait, what did Kennii-sensei just say?"

"I said it's f-fine." He chuckled. "Now a-are you going to s-sleep where you a-are standing, or are y-you going to hop o-on in?" He scooched to the left, lifting the other corner to the empty spot next to him.

She swallowed a big amount of air in realization, her heart racing a thousand miles per hour at the finality. "H-Hai!" She smiled brightly, rushing too eagerly to the revealed spot with a large blush on her face.

Ken nearly doubled over with laughter at the scrambling girl next to him, getting comfortable with gusto.

He gently plopped down next to the covered girl, the bright redness on her glowing through the darkness. The light the window gave off might have not been necessary to see her the radiating girl with how bright she was blooming. "Comfort-table?"

"H-Hai!" She stuttered again, her heart threatening to burst through. She couldn't believe this was actually happening. She was actually laying next to her sensei. _Her Kennii-sensei! _This was literally a dream come true! It almost felt too good to be true though, a surreal moment happening so suddenly and too fast for her mind to react accordingly. She could still be sleeping, but regardless, this predicament was too rare to not live down.

Her eyes didn't dare to leave the gorgeous red orbs her sensei possessed. It was as if it was an infinite warmness wrapping the two in a comfortable flame for a memorable first night being this close to each other. She bit her lip. The young Uchiha was going to die if she didn't calm down these intense feelings fluttering through her pumping organs soon. It would be a happy death if it was though.

Sakuri was sleeping next to the person she cared most for.

His close face however momentarily reminded her of her dream she had. Her body finally calmed down with the sudden blue ocean washing over her.

Her frown made itself known right in front of Ken. "Hey, y-you okay?"

"Huh? Oh… yeah, yeah I am."

"You sure?" He pressed on.

"I…" She sighed. "I had a nightmare of sensei."

"Of me?" He appeared surprised.

She nodded silently, her gaze tilting toward his covered chest. "In it, sensei…" She held back the tears that wanted to escape, "…s-sensei left me behind. Sensei told me he couldn't p-p-put up with me anymore. That Kennii-s-s-sensei had better things t-to do…"

"Saku-chan…"

"I-I-I-I…" She wiped one stream of tears with her sleeve. "I know it was just a dream, b-but the thought still scares me, and I j-just don't know what to do. I don't know if I'll ever be the same i-if sensei left us, if sensei left _me _behind."

Suddenly, she was pulled toward her idol, her face gently being buried in his chest. "Don't be silly, S-Saku-chan. Of course I won't leave you, o-or any of you b-behind. I c-care too much to leave."

"B-But…" She muttered, her young hands clasping onto his PJs just in case. "Kennii-sensei wanted to leave just this evening, didn't he?"

Ken frowned at this. Yes, it was true. Once the argument was settled of his sub-conscious honorific of Mikoto-chan– I-I mean, Mikoto, they went back on track on what he initially asked of the beautiful woman. His clothes were indeed fixed for his next use. But what surprised him the most was Mikoto's insistence on his stay. He didn't even give it a second thought, since it seemed like only a once-off thing. You slept over, and the next day you pack your bags and leave. That was how it worked, right? Ken wouldn't have thought in a million years that someone would keep him around more than he was allowed to. One day was too much. Two days? Why was he so special to be granted even the consideration? He wasn't, and yet here he was, due to the Uchiha's persistence.

It wasn't their fault completely though, it was his especially for accepting the offer. This thought might sound as if it had severe irrational repercussions, but he couldn't help but think so.

Were they not going to be in trouble if they were found out to be the holders of a 'monster' like him? Would they not be hated upon as well if such a conclusion would be drawn? He couldn't live with himself if that were the case. He knew how the end result felt.

Just ask his previous self when he overstayed his welcome at the a certain clan's household.

But he still, despite the protesting cerebration, ended up here, next to Saku-chan no less. Were they just that kind that they wouldn't care if something happened to them? But–

"Sensei?"

Ken blinked out of the train. "Yeah…" He started, his senses gaining his surroundings, "…b-but I just d-didn't want to overstay m-my welcome." He said honestly.

"Don't be silly." She gave him a warm smile through wet tears. "This _is _your home as much as it is ours."

"But–"

"No buts, you silly doofus." She hugged him, pressing herself even deeper in his warm presence. "Didn't you say we were friends before? Don't friends stick together?" She mumbled through his fabric.

"Y-Yeah I did, b-but I–"

Sakuri gazed up to give him a warning expression.

He paused, before chuckling nervously, deciding to rather wipe the last of her tears away instead. "Fine, no more b-buts. I'll stay as l-long as you w-want me to."

"Forever then?"

"Huh?"

"Would you stay with me forever?" She tightened her grip on him adoringly, her big eyes sparkling hopefully at his own.

"…Well, i-if your mom would l-let me though."

"She will. I _know_ she will."

"…Then I'll s-stay here forever." He smiled at her.

"Pinky promise?"

He was nearly taken aback by the sudden proposal, since it was the same as that of Mimi-chan's continuity, until Ken realized who he was interacting with. It was a mere eight year old child, a strong, talented child, but an eight year old nonetheless. They were only children at the end of the day, their youth still far from over. Still, it was amusingly identical how they could be to one another.

He smiled fondly, his finger entwining with her own smaller one. "P-Pinky promise."

Her face-splitting smile burst forth, her body on the verge of a heart attack the way it raced like a cheetah. Soon, she found herself blushing deep inside his chest, their bodies holding onto each other as if they were two pieces of the same puzzle, finally reuniting as one, fluttering hearts flowing out of one of the incomplete pieces.

"_I love you, Kennii-sensei." _She sub-consciously confessed with a flustered mind.

"Hmm? What was th-that, Saku-chan?" Ken looked slightly down, his chin resting against the top of her silky hair. The little girl seemed to mutter something important in his clothing.

"Oh, urm… n-nothing." She buried her face even deeper, if that was even possible, as if the Uchiha wanted to suffocate in his attractive scent. She wouldn't mind though, so long it was her Kennii-sensei's smell.

That was a close one. He almost heard her. Gosh, she really had to watch what she said more often. She supposed she needed a better scenery for a confession like that though.

Hopefully it would come by soon. Sakuri didn't know how long she could withhold her complexed feelings any further before it would erupt like fireworks. "Good night, Kennii-sensei."

"G-Good night, Saku-chan." His voice muttered musically to her.

'_Kennii-sensei…' _She thought, her mind peacefully drifting off to dreamland whilst her form was held closely by her definite true love. _'Please love me back if I confess.'_

Ken smiled warmly at her dozing form, her soft breathing a nice lullaby for his daydreams. Personally, he wouldn't want to leave such a lovely girl like her behind, not even in his wildest dreams… daydreams.

He held her even closer, his heart warming up to her warm company. A soft peck on top of her head was what he ended up giving her, a cute, dreamy smile tugging itself onto her young lips.

"_Sweet dreams, S-Saku-chan."_

-Empty-

"Ohayō, Ken. Ohayō, Sasuku-teme."

Sasuku's eyes went wide from the unexpected greeting. Sure, she noted that there was a hint of spite behind her teammate's voice, as well as forcefulness, but it was a greeting nonetheless. Which was actually weird, considering the idiot never spoke to her outside of team interactions, only now and then when it was really necessary. She guessed the forcefulness behind her voice had more emphasis than it initially seemed to have.

"Hey." She simply said.

"Hey there, N-Naruko." Ken approached her on the bridge, a bubbling sense of guilt, along with concern making their presence felt within. "Look, a-about what happened y–"

"Halt." She raised a palm to his face, interrupting whatever he was going to say. "Before my cool Ken-kun say anything else, I would like to apologize for my misbehavior the previous day."

Ken blinked at the response. _Kun?_ Where did _that _come from? I mean, it wasn't an insult, but the sudden honorific was definitely not used before by her. This was certainly unexpectedly odd from Naruko. Was there a specific reason she used it, or did it just slip out by itself? But more importantly, she was going to apologize? For what?

"I shouldn't have run out on you like that, it was really impolite of me to do so, and so, I would like to ask for your forgiveness." She bowed lowly, surprising her Ken even further. "I'm very sorry."

Her formal tone, despite sincere, made it sound as if she was pretending to be in fault, to just pull his leg for a second before bursting out with playful laughter. But he never took Naruko as the type to joke about apologizing before. It was as if she were a soldier ready to accept whatever punishment her general would dish out for her.

"Naruko…" He muttered, before shaking his dazed head. "I-It's fine, really. There's no n-need to apologize."

"But there is." She stood up with a calm expression. "And I would like to make it up to you."

"Make it u-up to me?"

She smiled, her mouth opening for words to utter but a sudden sound-erupting smoke kept her at bay.

It was Kakashi-sensei.

"Yo."

"Well, look who's early for a change." Sasuku said to the eye smiling man.

"I figured I should be considering the information that I'm expected to announce to you all."

"Information?" Ken questioned.

"That's right, my loyal student." He smiled through his mask. "Today, you'll be teaming up with Team Eight on a mission."

"Teaming up?" Naruko's eyebrow cocked curiously.

"Yep." He watched their reactions before finishing off. "Pack your bags, you three, we're heading back to the Land of Waves."

**-Empty-**

**We finally hit the second unit mark everybody! Hip, hip, hooray!**

**Before I go, I would like to address a review I received from a Guest a while ago, and it's something probably all of you were wondering once before.**

**Why is Kenjo so dang weak? Was it necessary for me to give him no skill at the beginning of the story?**

**Yes, and no.**

**No, because I could've given him a reasonable amount of talent at least your typical Shinobi needs to have when becoming a Genin. Yes, because of what it implies of him as a 'developing' character, so to speak. His weakness is suppose to be a symbolic structure of how unfair life could be. Why give him some abilities if he could have none of them at all, was what I made life said when I thought up of this fanfic in the first place. Not everyone is the same, and for him to become a Genin without the proper traits makes him one unique OC, or at least to me that is.**

**Now, I know what you're thinking, or at least you might have thought of this before. Would he stay this weak for the rest of the fic?**

**My response, take a closer look at the profile pic. I made him glow for a reason, ladies and gentlemen. His power which he hasn't unlocked yet, was established to be one hell of a sack of abilities that should at least have him dominate nearly anyone at it's peak, that is, if he wanted to.**

**Note, I'm only telling you this because of how poorly some judge him, the story's characters included.**

**Think of it as a jigsaw puzzle. All he needs to do is to find where each piece has to go. If he does it right, you'll probably not view him as the same as you, the reader, had once did.**

**I'm not saying you have a bad sense of judgment, cause I don't like how weak he is right now either. But that's the beauty of it all.**

**Start with nothing, just to end with everything, supposedly.**

**Don't worry, his abilities are coming soon. I just wanted you to see how painful and difficult it was for him at the start. What I would warn you of though, without spoiling **_**too **_**much of the story, is that if it does come along, don't let your pants fall.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing so far. Appreciate it with all my **_**'Empty'**_** heart. See what I did there?**

**Until next time.**

**-Narurific-**


	11. Another Mission, Another Problem

**Quick Note: OC isn't genuinely handsome, unfortunately. It's all based on others' perspective.**

**Chapter 11**

**Another Mission, Another Problem**

**-Empty-**

Sarutobi sighed. Paperwork could really be a pain in the behind sometimes. It was as if they kept getting stacked higher and higher without any form of decreasing whatsoever. Despite this, He usually just gave the rows upon rows of untidily tower based sheets what they were due without really any personal opinion escaping his lips, well, not in front of company at least. But recently, he felt like this torturing copies were mocking him with no end, period.

He didn't know if he wasn't doing as efficient as usual, or if the village's political problems were just getting out of hand. Maybe both? Certainly the latter though. First it was the slowly declining nature of their Anbu going missing through confidential missions that weren't connected suspiciously at all, then some of the villagers suddenly lost momentum in their local occupations for a number of accurately identical reasons that were just ridiculous.

Feeling unwell despite their immune systems working perfectly fine.

Suddenly receiving muscle aches during work hours despite, yet again, not having anything wrong with their inner body.

The list just kept going on, with no proof behind it, just like these darn papers! They were all connected with organic problems, but it could just be waved off as them just being too lazy to take responsibility. But it's been happening to people who do not slack off, not even on one occasion yet, before _this_, that is. Besides, they seemed too much of a coincidence to be happening on a regular basis, so the predicament was definitely out of the ordinary.

It was as if someone was giving them an undetectable disease or something. Could it be…?

"No, no." He shook his head to himself, sighing in recognition. It couldn't be Kenjo. I mean, he knew the boy was special beyond compare, but he couldn't be the cause of such an ominous dispute, right? Of course not. "Besides, the seal is still sealed, at least, that's what I hope."

Mizuki suddenly flashed through his mind.

That man…

He was going to do something stupid, Hiruzen could tell. But it wasn't as if he could really accuse the Academy teacher of any wrong doing. Nothing happened… yet, or that's what Tsume's Intel had said. He was grateful for the optimism Inuzuka had for Ken-kun, even if she wouldn't really admit it in the public's ear. Her history with him really changed how enclosed her heart was to everyone else. But Sarutobi couldn't tell if giving one of their only Anbu still present in the village the responsibility to look over _both_ young Uchiha Sakuri and Tayamaru Kenjo at the same time.

I mean, he knew sparing as little Anbu as possible meant a thumbs up for the already declination, but could Uzuki Yugao even endure two moving targets at once, all alone? Maybe with bunshins, but while it was a twenty-four seven situation? That seemed too much to him. Tsume at least seemed faithful in the Anbu, but that didn't really quench his nerves enough.

Anyway, where was he? Oh yeah, paper number two thirty four… or was it number three forty two?

'_What does this one say? Mm… another complaint from Kirigakure, I see. Seems like another one of _their _Anbu went missing as well. Accusing me of such feats as usual I see. When will that woman learn to leave the past alone? Is she still clinging onto the fact that we won the war?'_

Again, these unusual moments really played with his aged head. Not only was the incident of missing Anbu happening to Konohagakure, but every single great nation on the map. Whoever was attacking the Anbu couldn't be one of the hidden villages, since they were all being affected by the same problem. Either everyone was doing the same thing to each other, or something behind the scenes was pulling the strings. But who could it be?

The Akatsuki?

They seemed a perfect candidate, not only him, but all five Kage assumed that much in the beginning. But the fact that they were receiving no information on the 'predator' was really weird to say the least. All they could do right now was point uncertain fingers at others, nothing else. Hopefully the culprit would be discovered soon, before another war settled in.

Kami knows they were already lacking the firepower from all the disappearances.

Which was probably why Anko reluctantly decided to 'babysit' Kenjo during his punishment in the first place.

Anyway, back to work, he guessed.

"Lord Third." The door opened up to reveal Ebisu. His face popped up in the office before, for a _specific _reason. Now that the man was back in his presence, Sarutobi could only assume news on a recent incident was riled up. Still, would it hurt the man to at least knock? No matter if it was an emergency, couldn't he see the _work _he needed to finish?

Sighing, he decided to let it slip due to his suddenly offended behavior.

Stress was not going to get the best of him. Not now, not ever.

"Yes?"

"The female from before would like to address a request."

"Request…" He put the ink-filled object down. "Very well, let she come in."

"As you wish, Lord Third." He bowed, exiting with a creak. Soon enough, he entered once more, but this time, with another face.

"A-Ah, Mr. Hokage." She bowed respectfully, nervous from the presence of such a higher up.

"Good day, young lady." He nodded with a friendly smile. "What do you happen to need from me?"

"Well… I…" She looked around the place uncomfortably, "I would like to return back to my village, Mr. Hokage."

"I see. Well, that, my dear, was already planned in preparation. I believe your parents would want nothing but your safety back in their arms. But, may I ask what happened, though?"

"W-What Happened?" She looked at him confusingly.

"Yes." He stared calmly at her. "You do remember stumbling in our village, do you not?"

"I…" She bit her lip, "…y-yes, I think… I think I do."

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow at the response, but let it slip. "You were bruised, pretty badly. Thankfully, there were no severe injuries that would hold you longer at the hospital, nor anything more portentous. Might I ask what happened to you that would cause such external damage?"

"I…" She looked down despairingly. "Well I… urm… don't… quite remember _what _actually happened to me."

…

"I… I know I was fleeing from… something, but I can't remember what it was. Next thing I knew I passed out due to fatigue… and pain. But that's basically it. I can't remember anything else. I'm sorry if I don't sound too helpful."

"No. No, it's fine. You were really persistent on surviving, which is a good thing on it's own, so loss of memory might be an unfortunate consequence in such a rapidly pacing escape." She could have not even look back at her predator for all he knew, but it was really odd that she remembered everything only from the point of passing out, aside from fleeing that is, and not the attempt to stay alive from whatever significant person or thing that was on her tail.

Hiruzen couldn't help but think of this and how it might connect to the missing Anbu cases. It certainly seemed like the girl was on the verge of being kidnapped, or worse, but her appearance didn't really speak volume of her skills, much less being on Anbu level. If it wasn't though, then having her as a target of whatever was out there would throw whatever leads they had on it out of the window due to how nonsensical it would be for a random girl to be another prey for this odd incident.

"Where are you from, young miss?"

"O-Oh. From the Land of Waves, Mr. Hokage."

"The Land of Waves, hmm? Fine." He looked at Ebisu next to her. "Will you do me a favor and assign an escort for miss…"

"Arato, sir."

"…for miss Arato?"

"Hai! Am I expected to assign a particular ranked ninja, Lord Third?"

"Considering the inconvenient culprit who chased miss Arato, I'd say an Anbu would suffice."

"Sorry, Lord Third, we're all out of available Anbu in the meantime."

"Really? Already?"

"Unfortunately, yes, Lord Third." He nodded. "We recently assigned the last to take care of some inconvenience on the outskirts of the village."

"Oh, right." Sarutobi slouched back in his seat with thought. "Well, I suppose you just have to wait here in Konoha for an Anbu to finish their current assignment, miss Arato."

"B-But, I _have _to get home as soon as possible, Mr. Hokage." She said nervously.

"I'm sorry miss Arato, but regardless of the circumstance, our hands are tied at the moment."

"Might I suggest a candidate, Lord Third?" Ebisu asked.

"Mm? Do you have anyone in mind, Ebisu?"

"Yes." He nodded. "Why not assign Team Seven as the escort?"

"Team Seven? You mean send Kakashi's team?"

"Hai. They were successful on the last route to the Land of Waves, so they should be able to handle this fairly easily as well."

"But the danger of this specific assailant, Ebisu." The Hokage mentioned.

"I know. But I doubt Kakashi-sensei will have a difficult time taking care of whatever threat that lurks, Lord Third. Not to mention he _was_ also an Anbu before."

"I suppose so. But I wouldn't want to chance whatever it is to be fairly uncomplicated for the Jounin."

"Then another team to accompany them?"

"That's quite the rash suggestion, Ebisu." He looked at the man carefully.

"My apologies, Lord Hokage. I suppose I'm only trying deplete the issues which hangs on your shoulders."

"I appreciate your concern, thank you." He nodded, giving it one last thought. "But who would be the team that will accompany them?"

"I guess any team who is available and would be willing to partake on this mission."

"Very well." Sarutobi finally decided. "Send a request to said teams so we can get miss Arato back to her family."

The young adult smiled brightly at this. "Arigatou gozaimasu!"

-Empty-

"Why do we need to team up again?" Naruko asked, lacking her usual enthusiasm. Really now, were they not enough for this escort mission? They did it last time without anyone else's help, so why was _this_ any different?

"Because Lord Hokage said so, Naruko-chan." Kakashi hid as much annoyance as he could. Honestly, he told them before, numerous of times for her in particular, so why was she _still _asking him? "Apparently our client was attacked and we have no clue what we might be facing when we leave those gates."

"Don't they know who attacked them?" She raised a curious brow, their strolling closing in on said gates.

"Apparently, no."

"That's stupid." She placed her hands behind her head. "Some help they are. For all we know, it could be some sort of trap disguised by a bunch of thugs, like last time."

"Our client from last time wasn't the one who set the trap, idiot, so I doubt our current client has ulterior intentions." Sasuku explained irritably.

Naruko's eye twitched, but she attempted to hold onto her expression instead of averting to her usual scowl. _'Don't lose it, Naruko. You have to be the ideal BFF for Kenjo, so no bursting out with your uninviting annoyance! Think happy thoughts! Think happy thoughts. Think about Kenny-kun.'_

She took a deep, yet vague breath before exhaling what she felt was a shoulder-weighted relief.

"_Kenny-kun…" _She smiled from the sub-conscious mutter.

"Hmm?" The boy in question glanced at her with inquisitiveness. Did he hear his name just now? "Did y-you say something, Naruko?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing." She smiled calmly, yet a subtle blush crept on her face when she made eye contact with the real thing. "Just hoping something exciting will come out of this."

"Yeah…" He trailed off, their last escort suddenly plaguing his mind. The moment he finally took note of the huge gap between himself and his teammates. The time he was _so much help_.

Sarcasm, everybody.

But that was then.

This was now.

He had gotten a good amount of training during the time period. Although he doubted it would really be half as much as the amount Naruko and Sasuku had gone through, he was still confident in himself. Something he lacked for quite some time now. It wasn't going to be counterfeit, this was going to be the real thing.

Today, he would find out how good he had gotten. How effective his side training during his student's would be. If he was ready to kick some serious ass, if there _were_ butts to beat up.

If he was truly ready to graduate not only from the Academy, but also from his shell of doubt.

His fist clenched with rushing determination. This was it.

This was it.

This was really going to be it.

Naruko took a momentary gaze upon her BFF, his dedication shining through his red orbs. Dedication she, unfortunately, didn't see more times than she truly wanted to. He was feeling it. Hopefully he was up to it this time.

No, scratch that idiotic thought. Kenny-kun _was_ ready. The outside world was going to be at his mercy, and it wouldn't be the other way around like last time.

Last time was gone.

This time was _his_ time.

It was Ken-kun's time to finally shine through.

A fond smile made it's way onto her features, her own being absorbing some the energy he was emitting.

Yes, today was definitely going to be his day.

Tayamaru Kenjo's day.

"Kurenai." Kakashi nodded in acknowledgement, the woman's red eyes practically piercing his own from it's normal intensiveness.

"Kakashi." She nodded back, turning toward their client. "Let's make this quick, for Arato's, and for our benefit."

"Right." He turned to leave with the woman, the two adults giving recognition to the other's students.

If they took more careful observation however, they would've seen, and even felt the strong atmosphere surrounding the six Genin, around three of them in particular.

Inuzuka Kibira.

Hyuga Hinata.

Tayamaru Kenjo.

One with averting awkwardness.

One looking away with embarrassed redness.

One with a rainy downcast.

Yet, they did their best to give each other a knowing glance.

'_Forgot Team Seven involved him.'_

'_Forgot Team Eight involved them.'_

His pump barely took a hit before rejuvenating the damage.

It was fine. He was still in this. Tayamaru Kenjo was still in this!

Still tough, he would be lying to himself if he said that this mission was going to be anything but a long walk of awkwardness.

-Empty-

_Knock. Knock._

"_C-Come in."_

_Creak._

"_Hey."_

"_K-Konichiwa."_

"_How are you coming along?" Step. Step._

"_I'm f-feeling better than y-yesterday. Thank y-you for a-a-asking, miss."_

"_Tsume is perfectly fine."_

_Nod._

…

"…_I see you have eaten your food."_

_Nod. "It w-was nice…"_

_He was still frowning._

"_Is there something wrong?"_

_Shake._

…

"_Kenjo."_

_Gaze averted toward._

"_You know, if there's something on your mind, you can tell me, okay?" She took the plate._

_Stare._

"…_Okay?"_

…_Slow nod._

_She lit a small smile._

"_How is your leg coming along? Still hurts?"_

_Shake. "Th-Though, when I put p-pressure on it…"_

"_I see…"_

…

"_If… if you want…"_

_Stare._

"…_I can, you know, take to the hospital. Maybe all you really need is proper treatment."_

_Stare._

"_I was stupid to think I can handle something like this. I'll take you if it doesn't get better overnight, sounds good?"_

_Stare._

…

_His gaze averted down to the plate, then toward the window._

…

"…_Kenjo…?"_

…

"…" _She silently took her leave._

…

-Empty-

Scribble. Scribble. Scribble.

It was nice hearing that sound. It was the only sound Daichi Hachiro tolerated from his class, especially during exams, which was happening right now, well, aside from cooperating responses. The continued motions were enjoyable to watch; it made him feel as though his class wasn't actually made of loud-mouth individuals, but actual maturity. He knew no one was perfect, but that shouldn't mean these wild animals sitting formally on chairs needed go on like, well, wild animals!

This peace and quiet wouldn't last long though, he knew that all too well. After all, he was teaching for, what, two decades? A nice round of experience he had under his belt, if he would be honest about it, but even with such experience, one could only teach docile persons, not troublesome ones. That included the depleting sense from one student specially.

Ichiraku Ayame.

Oh, how he praised her on every subject she exceled in, especially his. She was a great student, brilliant mannerisms, the top of her class, the perfect embodiment of a role model. Now? All of that went down the waste like used toilet paper. He didn't know what happened, how it did, or when it started to take effect. It was so out of the blue. Was she hanging around the wrong crowd? That seemed like an accurate excuse. But time and time again, he overheard and oversaw the declining nature being dished out toward her peers who wanted her around.

She was rejecting their offers, bad or good, and yet, she wasn't accepting her place on top anymore. It was as if a thunderstorm shocked the living ability out of her to do good; hence it happened so suddenly.

Her constant distant mind from the class despite being present. Was there problems at home or something? He needed to speak to Teuchi-san as soon as possible after this. He should've done it long ago, but his constant faith in her had restrained myself from doing such.

Speaking of said student, his patrol around the expectedly focused classroom ended next to a certain brunette's desk. He peered curiously, then his eyes bulged in disbelief.

"Ms. Ichiraku!"

"Ah!" The whole class were shocked by the sudden noise, Ayame in particular. She panicked in her seat, looking at the source with worry.

Her sensei looked down at her with fury.

…Uh oh…

"What do you think you're doing on your answer sheet?!" He said with annoyance. He already knew what she was doing though.

"I ur, urm, urgh I am… ur…"

He grabbed the sheet and pointed at it.

"What's the meaning of doodling hearts on your paper!?"

Snicker.

Giggle.

LAUGH!

"I-I-I ur…" Her heart raced with the embarrassed redness painting her face.

"You, Ms. Ichiraku, will stay after school so I may talk to you _and _your father in person!"

Ooohhh!

"Silence, class!" He glared at the busy rowdiness of the other students. After fetching her another answer sheet, he handed it over with a warning gaze. "_Don't _try to doodle on this as well, or I will really consider a proper punishment."

"H-H-Hai!" She said frantically, getting to work as soon as the sheet was placed on the hard surface. _'Oh man! What have I done!?'_

-Empty-

"Mikoto-san!"

The woman in question switched her regard to the source. It was one of her colleagues.

"The boss wants to see you!"

Her boss? That was strange. What does her employer want to see her for? Did she do something inappropriate? But she was working non-stop, only not on tea break due to regulations. Wait, could it be…

Knock. Knock.

"Come in. Ah, Mikoto-san, please, have a seat."

She did. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes, yes I did." He closed his eyes, a slight grimace wavering in. It was as if something was paining him. That… couldn't be a good sign. "I notice you haven't been working efficiently as you once have."

"W-What? But I did my schedule without fail, haven't I?"

"Yes, yes you have. But… your recently weakening pace during work hours has been obvious to me, to everyone for that matter."

Mikoto didn't answer, she just slightly looked down in silence, his piercing eyes not comfortable to stare at right now. She… guessed he had a point. The weight on her shoulders were probably becoming too much as of late.

"May I ask what's the problem?"

"I… it's really nothing, sir. I'll just have to pick up the pace as always." She looked at him determinedly, though it might have not been convincing as she wanted it to be.

"I… really want to believe you, but I can't. Not when you're juggling two occupations at once."

"Wha… what do you mean?"

"What I mean is, ever since you somehow convince the political industry to employ you whilst you still worked for us, you have been slowing down with your working stride, and I cannot help but think it's because of that very decision, Mikoto-san."

"No. No, it isn't. I was just… I can improve, sir, please, just give me another chance. Please!"

Her plea had desperation sparking in her eyes as backup, but again, he wasn't convinced too well. Nevertheless…

"Don't worry. You're very formidable in your work, Mikoto-san. I'll give you another chance, but if this continues to the point that you cannot keep up even with the adequate level we informed workers of, whether you have quit your second job or not, I'm afraid… I'd have to fire you."

Her expression showed true fear.

"But–"

"That's final, Mikoto-san." He said strictly. "You may take your leave."

She hesitated, wanting to reconsider the consequences, but knew it was pointless. Slowly gaining leverage with her legs, she opened the door, and silently closed it, a new sense of weight forming on top of her currently heavy one.

-Empty-

_Creak._

_He turned his head from his lying pose._

_The same girl from before stared from the opened door._

_She had a wary expression, visibly tightening her grip on her plushie._

_She slowly made her way to the toddler._

_He kept his gaze on her approaching form, the only sounds being heard were her footsteps._

_Soon, she got to the side of the bed, her stare slowly beginning to focus on his features as oppose to anything else._

_She opened her mouth to speak, but the sudden raising hand from the boy nearly scared her half to death. She tossed her toy upward in shock, fleeing with her tiny toddler legs like her young life depended on it._

_The door was forgotten; it wasn't closed after her leave._

_He kept his hand in the same position._

"…_Hi…?"_

-Empty-

"So, picked up anything else from her?" Kakashi asked through the silence.

"Define anything else." Kurenai asked back.

"Other than what we've already been informed with from the synopsis."

"I'm afraid we haven't." She kept her gaze straightforward. "Her memory seems strangely vague for someone who had a supposedly traumatic experience just a day ago."

"Think it has something to do with the missing Anbu lately?"

"Who knows?" She shrugged. "That being said, I would gladly take on the very next mission available for the outside experience, just to find out what's going on with this conspiracy."

"My first guess was the Akatsuki, but their goal, as far as we know, doesn't seem to involve taking out Anbu particularly."

"Then again, the Akatsuki as a whole is something that hasn't been completely structured out for thorough examination." Kurenai evaluated.

"True."

Apparently, their conversation, despite it's non-accompaniment, was barely made out from the Genin and girl from behind. It was the only conversation however which was uprooted from the group, the silence still high in the air.

Kibira and Akamari did their best to keep the distance between a certain green-haired boy and themselves in tact. Well, mainly Kibira, Akamari just followed her best friend as usual.

Surprisingly, the attacker hadn't shown their face yet. Maybe because of the sudden jolt of increased number of people, which, to everyone at least, was a ridiculous number to have for a mere escort mission, especially one that was so uneventful. Or maybe the predator was just not around in general. They probably got sick and tired of the wait, or that was what Naruko appeared to think.

Her gaze sub-consciously fell upon the Genin next to her.

Kenny-kun.

Gosh, was she using that nickname more recently than not. It was a forgotten name, left underground, buried alive along with 'kun' on it's own. Somehow it came back like an undead zombie, although probably not _that _undead.

She didn't really know if it was convenient to use _that specific nickname _in front of him though, his surprised expression for 'kun' alone seemed too… discouraging for her, despite the word being used half-knowingly, just like it's first usage back on the bridge this morning.

A sudden rustle brought her immediately back to reality, her kunai being pulled out instinctively. Not only her, but everyone was on their toes, their eyes taking care of their surroundings.

"All of you keep yourself ready." Kakashi checked with his eye.

Ken kept himself close to Arato, as with everyone else. Kunai in hand, Sasuku saw a bush nearby rustled. Impulsively, she threw the held blade, it's contents piercing through the green.

They all waited for whatever was in there to show itself.

But, it never came.

Time seemed to drag on for eternity, until Team Seven's sensei carefully made his way to the designated bush. They glanced at him for clarification.

He shook his head.

"Nothing's here."

"W-Was it just our imagination?" Arato questioned with uncertainty.

"We couldn't have imagined the exact same thing at the exact same time." Sasuku deadpanned, causing the teenager to look down with dismay due to her question.

"I sensed a chakra source in the bush, but it just suddenly disappeared when teme threw her kunai." Naruko implied.

"Gee, thanks." Sasuku said sarcastically.

"They might have escaped." Kurenai assumed.

Not wanting the abscond to be fruitful, Kakashi bit his thumb, did the necessary hand signatures, then slammed his palm on the ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

In a puff of smoke, an orange-brown pug appeared out of the settling dust, his gaze falling upon it's caller.

"Kakashi." He said in acknowledgement.

"Pakkun, I cannot sense any chakra signatures nearby. Could you identify their scent in the bush?"

"I'll try." He sniffed several times, the musky odor of nature hitting his nostrils, but also, a faint aroma took shelter as well.

"Anything?"

"I think I got a whiff of the target. I don't if it's who you are looking for, but I think I got a lock on them."

"Great. Lead the way."

Pakkun got to it.

"Someone carry Arato-chan." Kakashi looked back at the group. "If we're expected to catch the culprit, we need to make haste. Staying together as a group will also lower our chances of being separated from assistance if ambushed."

Nodding in understanding, Naruko took charge, earning a cute squeak from Arato. "Hang on tight." She smirked confidently at the female, before jumping from tree to tree along with everyone else.

With the concept nearly slipping her mind, she looked back concerningly. "Ken-kun, can you keep up?"

Fudge! Again with the 'kun'.

"Yeah, don't w-worry about me." He grinned sincerely, earning a nod of acceptance from his friend. Slowly however, instead of his ground-level pacing keeping his distance to them to a minimum, it gained unfortunate distance. Damn his inability! It was becoming a real nuisance right now, more than ever actually.

_Where has all that spunk gone to?_

Still, he kept running.

_I thought today was your day?_

And running.

_You stupid fuck._

Shut up.

_You worthless scum._

Shut up!

_You will never be good at anything!_

"SHUT UP!"

_Why should I?_

His eyes shot open from it's clutching agony, looking around hysterically. What in the…?

What was that?

Wait, where was everyone else?

Damn.

Shit.

Fuck!

He failed again!?

"D-Damn it!" He grinded his teeth, the birds mockingly chirping around him.

-Empty-

"_Gosh."_

"_Huh?"_

"_Huh? O-Oh, sorry." He sheepishly chuckled. "Just th-thinking aloud."_

"_Oh. What about?"_

_He averted from the blonde, taking in the scenery in front of him. "It's n-nothing. It's just… th-them."_

_She looked as well._

_A bunch of Jounin were on duty._

"_Those Jounin?"_

"_Yeah…" He smiled fondly. "They s-seem so cool, h-how righteous they a-are."_

"_I guess you have a point there." She smiled as well._

"_It must be s-so awesome, being a-able to use ninjutsu and s-s-such." He hugged his legs closer to his chest, her eyes laying upon his being observantly. "I w-wish I can be like th-them."_

"_But you will." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "We're going to join the Academy, aren't we?"_

"_I guess."_

_She probably didn't know yet. He tried to do those things like every ninja does. He failed miserably. Maybe he was missing something? Maybe that was what the Academy was there for? Maybe there was like that markings he saw occasionally they were suppose to have before they could actually do cool ninjutsu? He believed they were called seals. Fuuinjutsu? Yeah, Fuuinjutsu. That's what they were used for, right? Was that what Academy sensei are expected to do to them? Put seals on them so that they could be allowed to be real ninja? Probably. He guessed he had to wait to find out._

"_You really look up to ninja, huh?"_

"_Of course." He said, nearly sounding offended by the question. There was nothing he truly wanted to be other than a ninja. Being entitled a monster really made his future dim. He was so close to taking his life. Now with his angelic hope next to him, blessing him with her company every single day, his future was brightened once more, even more than before. His ambitions were back on track. "E-Especially the Hokage. He's s-such an awesome guy. I l-look up to him the most."_

_The blonde looked at the ninja from afar. Hokage, huh? A bright smile covered her face like a blanket. She knew she wanted to be a ninja. She was fond of them too. Everyone was. It was just common sense _to_ be. But the Hokage? The highest level of respect? He looked up to him like everyone else does, including her._

_But his opinion…_

…_his attention…_

…_his eyes._

_They sparkled for the man in the red building._

_His attention._

_She wanted that most in life._

_She wanted him to look at her the most._

_She wanted him to view her the most._

_Jealousy bubbled forth, but something overlaid it._

_Her calling in life. It switched places._

_Being a ninja? So last year._

_There was only one way to truly gain respect from everyone. There was only one way to truly be the center of his world._

_Her mind was made up, more so than ever. Her destiny was sealed. Yes, she knew what she wanted to become now._

_The young girl wanted his attention._

The only way…

_The young girl _needed_ his attention._

…to do that…

_The young girl would graduate from the Academy for _him_, and…_

…was to…

…_become…_

…become…

_The _greatest _Hokage _there _ever _was!

_For _him.

_Believe it, dattebayo!_

-Empty-

"So, have you told Mimi-chan already?"

"Huh?" Sakura averted from her aiming sequence. Naori looked at her expectantly. "Oh, urm… yeah, I did." She threw another shuriken at the target, it missed.

Again.

The blue-haired girl noticed. "So, how did she take it?"

"Not very well." Haruno took out another sharp tool.

"Well, that was expected."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She threw, and missed.

"But is she going to stop feeling that way?"

"Who knows…?" She sighed, scrambling her hand in the pouch for another. "She definitely didn't seem very enthused about the idea."

"Hopefully she does see things in a different light." _'For her sake, that is.'_

"I doubt it."

"What do you mean?" Naori asked, taking a swing at her own target, nailing it like it was child's play.

She bit her lip considerably. "Well, I don't know what really happened, but when she yelled at me, I was thrown out of her room by a gust of wind."

…

"I know it might sound crazy, but I think _she_ did that. I don't know how, though. Mimiru never showed any signs of ninjutsu before, and for her to suddenly do it without any learning experience seems too disbelieving."

"…Yeah, you probably imagining it."

"Hey." She furrowed at Naori. "I know I sound uncertain, but I know what I saw! I thought at least _you _would understand."

Naori giggled innocently. "I'm kidding, Sakura-chan. Of course I believe you."

"That doesn't sound too convincing." She deadpanned.

The blue-haired Genin just giggled further. Silence crept in again as they steadily finished their training. Usually, Naori would bring up such an obvious problem like Sakura's lack in accuracy, but the situation between the two Harunos seemed reason enough to have a strayed mind. In any case, Naori was too in her own thoughts to ever give two shits.

Mimiru forming a gust of wind? Interesting. _'I didn't think she would unlock it so early. Guess it will soon be time to act.' _A sickeningly bright smile took form on her lips. _'I hope you'll be ready when time comes around, my lovely prince.'_

-Empty-

"So, Ayame," One of her supposed friends strolled next to the girl, the others moving with them, "Who's the lucky guy?"

"H-Huh?" Ayame blinked, a flabbergasted expression accompanied by a flushed tint appearing on her facial features. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't be like that." She grinned deviously. "We all saw and heard what you drew, so stop denying it. Does he know?"

"Kn-Know what?"

"Your love for him, girl." A girl said from the other side. "Or is it unrequited?"

"Gosh, I just love unrequited love!" Another said in the group. "The problems the love-struck person has to deal with are simply juicy to no end!"

"Maybe they're already going out."

"Is that it, Ayame? Are you going out with this stud?"

"Have you gotten to first base already?"

"Second?"

"Third!?"

"Homerun!?"

"W-What are you guys talking about?" The questions were too much.

"What we mean is, have you already had sex with him?"

"N-N-Nani!?" Her whole face became pure red.

"You have, haven't you?"

"Her expression says it all."

"N-No we didn't." She tried keeping herself under control. If there were sprinklers around, her steaming self would have already triggered them.

"So you _do _have someone on your mind."

"N-No I don't."

"Gosh, just thinking about how passionate your sexual interactions might be makes me so hot."

"Yeah, it's like a real life Icha-Icha moment."

"Wait, you read Icha-Icha Paradise?!"

"Of course. I'm not ashamed to admit it. A girl has to have an outlet now and then. I'm only human after all."

"Man, you're such a hentai."

"Again, I'm not ashamed to admit it."

"How about you, Ayame?"

…

"Wait, where did she go?"

-Empty-

"Hand on, where's Ken-kun?" Naruko stopped her movements, taking a worried glance behind her.

"Did Dead Last really fall behind during such a crucial time?" Sasuku glared behind as well, taking a break.

"I'm gonna go look for him." She skipped a branch to lay her feet on the same one Sasuku-teme was on. "Take Arato-chan with you."

"What? Why me?" She took her on her back nonetheless, only to keep the client from falling out of panic.

"Just do it, teme." She shot her a glare before backtracking carefully.

"_Damn it." _The Uchiha cursed, but made her way toward the rest. _'You better keep him safe, idiot, or so help me I'll really pound you in the dirt!'_

"Ken! Ken, are you around here?! Answer me if you are!" Naruko shouted desperately, averting left and right for at least a glimpse of green hair. She knew having too much faith in him was a bad idea. He was fast, she knew that, but traveling on ground not only took more agility, but it also wasn't as convenient as traveling through trees. Her indecisiveness got the best of her, and now she made him lose track of them. Stupid head, stupid head, _stupid head! _What a good start to show Kenny-kun she was more of the ideal friend than anyone else. Maybe it really was better for him to forget about her…

'_No, no no no!' _She wasn't going to think like that. _'Think optimistic, you! Don't let your fears get the best of you.'_

Any further thinking would have to wait though, since a flying kunai interrupted her frantic searching. Guarding her with her own, the forceful clank was followed up by the landing blonde and a glare toward the offending direction. She squinted her gaze for better focus, but jumped to another branch when several shuriken from a different direction carved their way in her previous spot.

'_There's more than one enemy, then?'_ Realizing it at the last moment, she blocked another flying kunai from behind. _'Wait, there's three!? Maybe even more…?'_

Damn, she was surrounded by unidentified ninja. Scanning every direction possible, she attempted to find the source of attack. She didn't. Trees and trees and trees. Just flippin trees. Then who was attack–

Cut!

She hissed, a kunai had sliced through her clothing, scratching her left arm. Naruko leaped onto the ground in retreat, the direction where it came from having no sign of life other than nature.

'_What in the world!? Where are they?!'_

A sudden group of sharp ninja tools flew from different angles. The blonde dodged left and right, clashing with nearby kunai and shuriken in desperation. Unfortunately, she wasn't successful to get out of it unscathed.

Cut.

Cut.

Cut.

She let out a groan for each of them. She wanted to shunshin, she wanted to bunshin out of there, she wanted to hide. She just wanted to simply get away from the onslaught, but the attackers didn't give her the time of day.

Finally, it stopped. Metal was scattered everywhere like a warzone, some bloody, some not. Naruko's clothing was a mess, her laceration spilling slowly dripping warm liquid. She took a knee.

Damn it!

Then, feet took to the ground.

The Genin looked up with a sting to her grimacing expression.

-Empty-

"Ah, Teuchi-san. Please, have a seat."

"Arigatou, Mr. Hachiro." Teuchi gave Ayame a glance, before taking his place next to her.

"I don't want to take too much of your time, so I'll get right to it." Hachiro glanced at the silent student of his. "Ayame has… not been doing very well in her studies."

"Oh?" The man's eyes lit up with surprise.

"Unfortunately, yes. It has been shown for a while now. I should have addressed the issue with you earlier, but my faith in her got the best of me. Nevertheless, she kept dozing off to her own little world in class, not taking note in her studies, more interested in her thoughts if nothing else."

"I see." He simply said, averting toward the downcasted girl next to him.

"I feared she was hanging out with the wrong crowd, so to speak, but what she did during her exam today proved otherwise."

"What did she do?"

He took a sheet of paper under his desk and slid it to the parent's concern. "She doodled some hearts instead of answering question one."

…

"I believe she has some… intimate feelings for someone." Hachiro continued, watching the man's continued gaze upon the sheet. "I don't know if you noticed it or not, but I felt like I should address the matter nonetheless."

"I see." He said calmly, but Ayame could only imagine the furious suppression on his facial features, the furiousness she was too afraid of even taking in with her eyes, much less be right next to.

"I know your daughter can do better. She was the best in her class in terms of academic skills, on top of the grade even. I believe all she needs is a disciplinary nudge in the right direction, and I think you are the only one who can give the necessary push."

"I understand. Thank you for bringing this matter to me, Hachiro-sensei."

"You're welcome." He nodded, and soon, the duo left his classroom.

To summarize the walk to home, the journey was filled to the brim with a dense sense of awkward silence. Ayame didn't like it one bit. She wondered what was in store for her when they got home.

She could only imagine.

-Empty-

"The trail ends here."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Kakashi inquired.

"What I said is what I meant." He gazed upon the silver headed man. "It just suddenly ends. I can't pick the odor up either."

"Are they too far then?" Kurenai asked curiously.

"No, it couldn't be. They might have shunshin'd away, but even with that being the case, Pakkun should pick up the scent."

"So, what do you expect might be the roadblock?"

"My guess is that they might have changed their aroma when shunshining, which would be highly coincidental, or they might have used a transportation jutsu."

"Strange we didn't even find any trace of them leaving that bush though." Kurenai looked behind, doing an instinctive roll call with her eyes.

"Yeah. They might be very skilled in their camouflage."

"So it see– wait, where are the other two members of your team?"

"What?" He looked behind him, only to find a troubled Sasuku. "Where's Naruko and Ken?"

"Dead Last lost track, so the idiot went back to find him."

"What?"

Shino glowered distastefully.

"Oh no, Ken-kun." Hinata clasped her hands together, as if in prayer.

"Ken…" Kibira's eyes gave off a spark of worry. Even Akamari didn't like the news one bit.

"_Damn it." _Kakashi cursed below his breath. "It would be dangerous to split up for more ground, neither do we have anything on us with Ken-kun's scent."

"We can split in two groups to keep our numbers from depleting too much." Kurenai suggested.

"You might be right. Each of us can lead two students, while one of us can keep an eye on Arato-chan."

"Correct." She nodded. "I believe you are better off keeping an eye on her though. Besides, your team has gone on an escort mission before, so the experience from both of you would be enumerable compared to my own."

"You are right." He nodded back.

"Hinata, go along with Kakashi-sensei's group."

"H-Hai."

"Alright, team, the rendezvous is this spot here." Kakashi announced, summoning one more ninken. "Go along with them just in case you are needed."

"Roger." Shiba nodded.

"Let's get to it then."

-Empty-

"What do you want, you bastard?" Naruko spat through gritted teeth, standing up rebelliously.

They didn't answer though, their mask covering their face.

"You smell like one of them."

"W-What?"

"Your smell." They said through the white mask, their gender being distorted from the claustrophobic disturbance.

"Listen, bud, I don't know what the hell are you talking about, but you'll regret messing with me like that."

They didn't reply, earning a scowl from Naruko.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Puff. Puff. Puff. Puff.

The clones rushed in for an assault.

Puff. Puff. Puff. Puff.

Skillfully taking down all four, they were back at square one. Naruko grimaced from the loss, and the calm nature of the scumbag.

"Nice moves, but I'm afraid it won't be enough."

"Is one of your comrades a Shudame?"

"What?" She looked at them curiously.

"A Shudame." They said, still calm.

"Man, you really have a weird way of elaborating, not to mention interact, huh? Don't worry, I'll knock some sense into you. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Puff. Puff. Puff. Puff.

The clones rushed in again, this time however, they did it a bit differently. Instead of being reckless, the front clone ducked, with the second using her back to leap in the air, over the target. The first immediately used her palms to do a front flip, launching forward with both feet. The masked person however grasped the oncoming ankles and swung them upward, knocking both airborne clones to smoke-ville.

What they wasn't expecting however, was the second bunshin to drop a paper bomb before her dispersing departure. The opposing person jumped backward in retreat, but was met with a suddenly awaiting Naruko from behind.

The blonde smirked, attempting to kick the enemy back toward the bomb, but like previously, was grabbed by the ankle, being thrown like a ragdoll toward the soon-to-be exploding item instead.

Again, surprising the enemy with yet another move, the fourth and last rushing clone grabbed the tool out of midair, throwing it with precision. Naruko doubted it was going to land though, so to compensate for it's demise, the last flipped upside down, the thrown clone landing perfectly on her feet.

Acting as a spring, the denied bunshin was launched once again to the expectedly unharmed scumbag. The bomb was indeed evaded in midair, she knew that much, but what she didn't calculated was the returning paper bomb. Stabbing the soon dispersing clone, the exploding radius caught the last survivor, puffing her away as well.

Naruko grimaced even further, but didn't have time to mourn for any of them when a sudden kunai cut through the smog, heading right for her face. She barely ducked in time, but didn't see the rushing form of a certain masked person, receiving a massive knee to her mouth, sending her back up to her feet, only to be assaulted with a thunderous foot straight through her gut.

She coughed out thick saliva, before the blow finally took effect and not only sent a rush of aggressive pain through her intestines, but also sent her as a horizontal rocket through an entire tree, snapping the wooden organism in half.

"You are too careless and evident. You lack balance in your strategy, and seem to be a one-trick animal."

Naruko slowly got up, her guts feeling like they were ready to be thrown up out of her pie hole. She coughed a considerable amount of times, before finally getting to her feet. "I-Is that the best you got, punk?"

"No." They simply replied, the flat tone unreadable.

"It b-better not be, cause you punch like a girl!"

"You seem female to me as well."

"Y-You know what I mean!" The female glared angrily.

"I'll ask you again. Where is the Shudame you were with?"

"Stop talking gibberish already!"

"…Fine. I'm afraid I'll just have to beat it out of–"

"Hey!"

The sudden voice made their heads turn.

"I d-don't care what's the r-reason," Red orbs impaled the nearby mask dangerously, Ken's body burning with anger, "nobody h-hurts my friend and g-gets away with it! NOBODY!"

**-Empty-**

**End of Chapter**

**Well, I guess that's it for Chapter Eleven. This one was really fun to type out, despite the problems it conjured.**

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed reading this one, and thank you in advance for your reviews, the favs, and the fols.**

**Until next time.**

**-Narurific-**


	12. When Lightning Strikes

**Chapter 12**

**When Lightning Strikes**

**-Empty-**

"_Who do you think you are?"_

"_My name is Uzumaki Naruko, and one day I'm going to be the Hokage, believe it!"_

"_It was a rhetorical question, stupid!"_

"_Wow, she's weird, _and_ dumb."_

"_No wonder nobody wants to hang out with you."_

"_Who would? She's just a blonde loser."_

"_Th-That's not true! Ken hangs out with me!"_

"_Ken? Never heard of him."_

"_Hey, bro, I think she means the kid with the green hair."_

"_Green hair? You mean that freak we're told to stay away from? Hah, I guess freaks stick together, eh?"_

"_Nice one, bro."_

_Hah, hah, hah!_

"_Hey, Ken's not a freak! He's the coolest person there ever is!"_

"_Ooh, I'm so scared."_

"_You should be! He'll kick your butts easily!"_

"_Oh yeah?"_

"_Yeah! So you better not pick on him, or your face will be more messed up than it is right now."_

"_Heh? Oh, I'll show you who's face is messed up."_

_She stood her ground defiantly, but as the boy's shadow enclosed her entire being, a feeling of dread crawled up her back._

"_H-Hey!" Their heads turned. "If you kn-know what's good f-f-for ya, then step a-away from her."_

"_It's the green freak."_

"_What are _you _doing here? Wanna act all hero-ie to impress your little girlfriend over here?"_

"_Hah! What an idiot! Both of them."_

"_Just p-please, get away f-from her already."_

"_Oh yeah?" He approached, towering over the scrawny child. "What are _you _going to do about it, huh?"_

_His eyes were shadowed, his body quivering nervously._

"_Hah, that's what I–"_

_Swing!_

_Gasp!_

_The boy stumbled, but kept himself steady enough. Finger felt lip. Eyes drawled to the fresh blood._

"_I-I-I… I'm s-sorry… I didn't m-me–"_

_Wham!_

_The green intruder fell to the ground, dazed._

"_You freaking jerk! Look what you did to my mouth! Now you'll really pa–"_

"_You…"_

_It was faint, but the mumble was heard. They turned their heads to the blonde. A dark red aura surrounded her._

"_You bastards." She snarled, but before anything else could happen, their sensei appeared._

"_Stop this at once!"_

"_I-Iruka-sensei!?" The boys stared in surprise._

"_I saw what happened. All of you boys are going to be punished, that includes you too, Kenjo."_

"_W-What?" The girl snapped out of her trance. "B-But Iruka-sensei…"_

"_I'm sorry, Naruko-chan." He gave her a look. "But he made the first move."_

"_But he… he was only defending me!"_

"_That doesn't justify his actions."_

_The whole conversation was too fuzzy for the fallen boy. His mind was twirling, the blow still in effect. It was then and there, he realized he didn't like their sensei all that much. But more importantly, he was glad she was safe._

_After all, he would do anything for his guardian angel._

Anything.

_Til the day he dies._

-Empty-

"Class, please be quiet." Umino Iruka stated firmly, the sounds in front of him beginning to die out. "Good. I would like to introduce to you a new student who will be your classmate from here on out."

NANI!?

"Quiet down!" He furrowed, not appreciating the uncomfortable auditory disturbance they were voicing in front of the girl next to him.

"Sir!" A hand rose.

"Save your questions for _after_ she introduces herself."

The hand shrunk.

"Go on, the floor is yours."

"H-Hai!" She bowed in gratitude, staring amongst the many children who would be her classmates. She gulped nervously. So many expecting eyes on her. But she had to pull up her pants though, she wanted this more than anything. "M-My name is Haruno Mimiru, and I'll be honored to be in your care. I hope we'll all get along and become friends!" She bowed furiously, relieved her angled being was hiding her embarrassed expression.

"Very good. Now, you may take a seat next to Sakuri-chan over there."

"Hai!" Soon, her nervous stroll ended on the empty spot next to the aforementioned person.

"Sensei, but isn't it too late in the semester to receive new students?" The same boy rose his hand.

"Yeah," A boy in the front row piped up, "we're nearly at the exams. How would she even catch up?"

"It's impossible."

"Yeah!"

"Stop it, class!" He furrowed at the attitude. "Mimiru-chan's parent knows this, including herself, but they're confident she'll gain the stepping stones before the exams starts, so there's no reason none of you shouldn't believe in her yourselves. That being said, if there's anyone who would like to lend their notes to her after class, I would really appreciate it."

"Hey, you can borrow my book, Mimiru!" A girl called from the middle row.

"I'll give you the recent notes, if you want?" A boy in front of Haruno gave her a friendly smirk.

"I guess it's fine if you borrowed mine, just be sure to hand it back soon, okay?" Another said near her.

Iruka couldn't help but smile with relief. This class really was generous at times. He was grateful he got to teach such a bunch with big hearts. But no one was more relieved than Mimiru. She didn't know what she would have done to catch up. What she _could _have. She was determined, yes, but being thrown in the Academy so suddenly was a different story. It was just so overwhelming for her, and her peers' friendly nature was even more overwhelming, in a good way that is. She really lucked in, huh?

Mimiru nodded with happiness threatening to leak from her eyes. Soon afterward, during the lesson, she gave a glance toward the quiet girl next to her.

"H-Hi there." The pigtail girl revealed a hand. "My name is Mimiru, but you can call me Mimi. What's yours?"

"Huh?" Sakuri turned her dazed head to address the newest recruit to the Academy. "Oh, Sakuri." She looked back to the sensei, half-listening to whatever he had to say and half-daydreaming of something specific. It had a wonderful trace of a green patch on top with a warm, sweet smile pasting itself below.

Mimiru put her unshaken hand back down, her smile faltering a bit. She decided it would be best to not distract her and cooperate with her studies. Still though, her mind couldn't help think about someone really, really, and I mean _really_, handsome (supposedly).

A dreamy smile broke on both of their young faces.

-Empty-

"It's you."

"Huh?" Ken gave them a questioning look. "D-Do I know y-you?"

"…No." They said calmly. "And you don't need to where you're going."

"Where's th-that?" He ended up asking, kunai still in hand.

"Hell." They suddenly broke into a sprint, surprising both Genin. But instead of breaking out nervously like last time, Ken held onto the feeling of wariness, doing a backflip after throwing his weapon at the rapidly approaching opponent. They easily avoided it though; spiraling right over the object and nearing even further.

The boy grimaced, taking out another kunai as quickly as he could to defend against the clash of his opponent's kunai. They stayed like that, one side struggling to push forth more than the other. Ken grunted in annoyance at how weak he seemed to be compared to the masked opposition.

Thinking fast, he released and ducked from the oncoming sharp tool, swiftly sliding a leg across their feet. Instead of tipping them over however, the enemy easily sprung over the attempt, using their weapon of choice to slash across the boy's face, thankfully only lightly lacerating his cheek.

He gladly took the chance to roll backward, gaining distance from the person. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough to react to a kick to the face, giving his mouth a skimming taste of the awaiting dirt below.

Despite his mind still in a whirl from the strike, the male Genin rolled himself over on his back, just to see a blade ready to pierce his eye. Just then, the enemy instinctively blocked, but was still hurled to the side by a swift kick, disrupting their assault.

It was Naruko, or at least one of the few Narukos who soon huddled up with protectiveness. "You okay, Ken-kun?"

"Y-Yeah." He stood up, the right half of his face dirty and scarred from the hard drift against the soil. His mind was still trying to catch on what just happened.

Was this really happening? Was he really taking on an actual enemy ninja without bursting out with an unnerved emotion? It appeared so, but still, it was surprising how he was still going on despite his legs quivering with angst. Ken felt as if he was going to collapse any second now though. But fortunately, he had a foreign drive rushing through his veins that kept him going.

He almost forgot what he said to himself this morning. Ken's eyes furrowed courageously.

Naruko smiled at his willingness, but soon put her attention back on the matter at hand.

"Strange." They started. "You smell like a Shudame, and yet, you don't seem to fight like how I was told you are expected to."

"Shudame?" Ken questioned confusingly, giving the clone next to him a look. She shrugged.

"No clue."

His eyes went back to the mask. "A-Are they th-the one we're l-looking for?"

"I bet they are." Naruko said, tightening her grip around her kunai. "Probably the one who was harassing Arato as well."

"Why are y-you doing this?" Ken asked through the calmest tone he could muster. Again, it was a wonder how his voice wasn't breaking up out of fright. Or maybe it was. His impediment really had a knack for staying in the same room as his nerves.

"I am not to answer to the demise of this world."

"Wha…?" What kind of a reply was that?

"You heard me, Shudame." They got into a ready position. "Now prepare to die."

-Empty-

_Her mind was made up. She was uncertain before, but now she was going to do it._

_Ken._

_That was what she usually called him. Nothing else. Strange though, since she had nicknames for nearly everyone._

_Ojii-san. Ayamenee-chan. Jiji-san._

_Well, maybe not Iruka-sensei, since he preferred her to call him formally._

_Which was exactly why she was so hesitant to give Ken an honorific, until recently._

_Two people had caught her eyes. They were on a date as well. They were playfully giving each other names. They were holding hands while doing so._

_She finally got the guts to give him one. It wasn't forced; she already had one for him._

_Her mouth opened up, ready to address the boy next to her._

"_Hey there, Naruko-chan!"_

_She closed her mouth, her attention averted toward the approached duo of some of their classmates. She greeted in response, her eyes on theirs, but occasionally moving toward her side, where her quiet friend sat._

_The intervening girls' mouths opened and closed, supposedly coherent words being converted incoherently through the blonde's ears. Her attention, despite what her eyes told them, were not on said kids. Although, she nodded and hummed in reply, all the blonde wanted was for it to end so she may resume her alone time with her close friend._

"_So," Their voice finally made sense, "wanna hang out later today? I know this great restaurant that makes the best kiyo sushi!"_

"_Huh?" She blinked, "Oh, n-no thank you. My day's already booked."_

"_Really? What are you planning to do then?"_

"_Well, I'm going to have my daily date with my friend over here."_

"…_Nani?!" Their eyes laid upon the boy next to her, then to her, then one more round. "You can't be serious? He's your _boyfriend_?!"_

"_What?" Both of them responded, their eyes showing their closely resembled reaction._

"_Your boyfriend. You know, since you said you're dating him."_

_She didn't know how to respond to that though; she never knew dating meant… 'that'. However, despite this new piece of info, she didn't feel quite offended, or anything detractive toward the prospect, so to speak. The title actually made her flushed if nothing else. Her heart skipped a fluttering beat, her eyes frantically attempted to _not _look at her friend, despite them not being able to help themselves. A warm sensation 'shunshin'd' it's way inside her stomach._

_What's… what's this feeling she was feeling? It's a weird emotion, a strong yet… pleasant one. Was it because of that word she heard… whoever that girl was, used?_

_Before the blonde could even speak her mind though, her friend spoke up. "N-No, I'm not."_

"_But she said you guys are dating."_

"_As f-friends."_

"_Then it's not considered a date!" She crossed her arms, glaring at the boy, before smiling toward the more 'approachable' person next to him. "Anyway, if you ever want to hang out, give us a holler, k? See ya." She waved with her accompaniment, but gave the male a distasteful look before taking their leave._

"Friends…"

"_Hmm?" He looked at the seated girl. "Did you s-s-say something, N-Naru-chan?"_

"_Huh? Hmm, it's, nothing…"_

_He gave her an inquisitive look before letting it drop._

_The way he said it, it made her think his nose wrinkled in disgust at the idea. Was that… was that true? Did he not want to be with her in that way? Did he not even want to go on their regular dates anymore? It seemed so._

_One thing was for certain though._

_The thought of ever 'going out with him' was now forgotten under the ground, never to be looked and heard of again. Along with his honorific._

'_Kenny' and 'kun' were no more._

-Empty-

"Now prepare to die." Hand signs flew intimidatingly. "Suiton: Aisusurasshu no Jutsu!"

Before they knew it, spiraling icicles appeared out of no where, rapidly shooting itself toward the target, intending to pierce for death.

"Watch out, Ken!" The Narukos jumped in the air and all around for evasiveness. Her male companion tightened his grip on his weapon as he attempted to dodge the uninviting source as much as he could. He knew it was a long shot, the way his abilities lacked the actual ability, so it was no surprise to him that he suddenly got scratch after painful scratch from the jutsu. "Ken!"

The airborne blonde through the necessary hand signs. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The extra clone appeared next to her, immediately grabbing and spinning the original for momentum. Letting go, Naruko was launched toward the masked opponent, their ominous compensator giving her attention with a blank look.

A shuriken was thrown in her direction, but skillfully evading it in midair, Naruko reeled a fist and burst it toward the face of the attacker. It collided with something different however, that is to say, it collided with nothing but nitrogen due to the adversary curling their body back.

Hands on ground, legs bent for mobility, the stunned and still aerial blonde was suddenly dropkicked in her already harmed gut, sending her painfully hurling in a nearby tree. Halfway through the length of the bark, gravity soon accelerated Naruko downward, her dazed consciousness barely twirling away from yet another weaponry attack. But it was merely a distraction, since the masked person was airborne as well, powerfully trapping their feet in Naruko's poor stomach, a snapping nature thankfully sounding from the wall-acting tree behind the Genin instead of her own hurtful bones.

Reacting quickly as always, the enemy sensed an oncoming kunai flying from behind, which she launched away from, using the injured blonde as a vertical platform. The kunai nearly hit the platform-acting girl, catching her fabric instead.

The clone gasped, before chuckling sheepishly. "Whoops."

The original growled, but her eyes averted toward the sudden eruption of a smoke bomb on the ground. The cloud swallowed the falling enemy whole.

Ken smirked satisfyingly, his coordinated smoke bomb was spot on. "N-Naruko!"

"Got it!" The clones zipped to the cloud as fast as they could, attempting to ambush the visionless person. There were whacks and whams being heard, yet the soon landing original and her friend watched impatiently for the smoke to clear.

It did, and the once covered area wasn't pleasant for none of them.

No clones were present, only an unharmed person wearing a white mask.

"Damn i-it!" Ken cursed.

"Don't tell me that's the best you two have got?"

"Shut it, you bastard!" Naruko growled. "You may be smugly now, but soon you'll regret every bit of it!"

"Where has your power gone to, Shudame?" The enemy faced the green boy, their back toward the blonde girl.

"What's this Sh-Shudame you k-keep calling me?"

"That's what you are. Do you not remember?"

"Remember?" His eyes widened. "R-Remember what?"

"What you are." They repeated.

Ken opened his mouth, but closed it due to contemplation. What, not who. He was something, not someone. But, what was he then? That phrase they kept using? What was it again? A Shudame? What a bizarre title, and yet, despite how foreign it might be, it rung something in his head.

A bell of recalling. It felt like he heard that word before. But when, and from where?

"W-What is a Shudame? I-Is it some monster?" Sudden question to ask, he knew, but it had reason behind it. After all, he was considered a monster from so many people. Maybe a Shudame was a fancier way of saying it?

"That's one way of putting it."

So he was right then.

"Hey!" Naruko yelled aggressively. "Ken-kun's not a monster, you hear me?!"

"Ken?" They turned their head to address her. "So you dubbed him a human's name? Fool. He's anything _but _a human." They looked back at the boy in question. "He's the key to the demise of humanity as a whole."

Ken's eyes widened unexpectedly.

_I am not to answer to the demise of this world._

"You're not making any sense as usual, baka." Naruko clenched the kunai from her dispersed clone.

"What…" Ken paused, almost afraid of asking, "…wh-what do you m-mean by being th-the key t-to humanity's d-demise?"

"It's meaning is what it implies." They simply stated. "That is why you and the others _must _die!"

W-Wait… others?

Before he could reply however, a paper bomb struck the ground before the enemy. They jumped in retreat, but was suddenly knocked back by Kakashi's foot, forcefully embracing the explosion at face value.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruko smirked with relief.

"Save it, Naruko." He said sternly, causing the girl to flinch. Hands moved expertly. "Futon: Daitoppa!"

With a giant gust of wind blasting through the smoke, dispersing the ground-leveled cloud, what met them was nothing in particular.

They escaped.

"Pakkun!"

"Got it." He made to sniff the designated spot, but a suddenly burst of purple gas erupted from said spot, causing everyone to reel back.

"Damn it. Futon: Daitoppa!" With another launch of violent air, the pug carefully resumed his order. After a silent wait, Pakkun shook his head.

"That gas was too strong. It's aroma still lurks and is overlaying their scent. I can't get a read on it."

"Again, their chakra isn't being picked up. Not the inkliest of signs." Kakashi sighed heavily, giving his two students a disappointing glare. "What were you two thinking, going up against a person without assistance!?"

"We had him on the ropes!" Naruko shot back.

"No, you didn't." He stared at her with a hard glint in his eye. "You would've died if we didn't appear when we did."

"No, we wouldn't have!" Naruko gritted her teeth. "We're not kids, Kakashi-sensei! We can take care of ourselves!"

"With your childish defiance and how 'skillfully' you took care of them, you could have certainly fooled me."

"We–"

"_Both of you _are not capable of taking care of yourselves. Get it through your thick skulls already!" He spat, Naruko flinching in surprise. The anger he had was none she had ever seen being radiated from her sensei before. It was… really unsettling how his strictness seemed to have no boundaries.

Just then, Kurenai's team appeared from the trees, landing soundly. "We heard an explosion. What happened?" She asked concerningly.

"Nothing, just a bunch of kids who think being a ninja is all fun and games." He said, his attention still on the downcasted duo. "Newsflash: it isn't. It's a life and death situation. I've told this multiple times already, and yet, none of you listen. Am I training substituted logs here? If that's the case, I _will _resign this 'team', and send all of you back to wherever you came from with no regrets. I signed up to be the teacher of a team, not whatever _this _is. I can't believe you three."

"Hey, what did _I _do?" Sasuku furrowed, only to take a step back with regret at how Kakashi's dangerously fiery eye pierced her own pair.

"You? The one who left Naruko to retrieve Ken all alone and only when coming to a stop, decided to inform us about their divergence? Nothing, Sasuku, nothing at all."

She simply looked down.

"I always looked at you as a future leader for this team, but even if that's what you truly will become, you are definitely on the wrong damn path leading to it." He gave Naruko a glance. "And you, the one who thinks it's such a good idea to go by yourself like you are a one-man team. You seriously haven't learned a thing since day one. Not a _damn _thing."

She flinched again, her eyes glued to the ground, fearing to even look at his feet.

"Then there's _you_, the one who caused all of this in the first place." His eye penetrated Ken's downcasted one. "You know what? I don't even know what to say to you anymore. You have a disability, yes, we all know that. Congratulations on being the first and only ninja to not be able to mold chakra. I have no doubt you'll still make a formidable ninja one day, but with how you are acting, you will only end up _dead_. Just because you are handicap, doesn't give you a _damn reason_ to put your teammates in danger like that! If you can't keep up, tell us. We'll pace you, as a _team._ We'll walk with you, as a _team. _We'll fight alongside you, as a _team. _If you can't see eye-to-eye with _that_, then leave, NOW!"

Ken's heart sank.

…

"You don't want to? Then make up your mind. Either you are _in _Team Seven, or _out_."

…

The man sighed deeply. "What am I going to do with you three? You know what? Let's just finish this run and return home as soon as possible."

Everyone started walking, silence threatening to slit their throats if interrupted.

"Don't you think you were too harsh on them?" Kurenai's voice snaked it's way in his ears.

"Probably."

"Probably?"

"Look, I know they're just kids, and everyone makes mistakes now and then, but until they honestly realize precious lives were lost for peace to look down upon the world, they'll never understand what is at stake. I just don't want what happened to everyone else to happen to them. I'll be damned before I allow that, and if that means they have to be scowled out like a kid being caught with their hand in the cookie jar, then so be it."

She didn't reply to that, deciding to let it be, for everyone's sake.

-Empty-

_Creak._

_Small, big eyes peaked through._

_He turned._

_Squeaking, they retreated._

…

_They peaked once more._

_He kept staring, then smiled._

_Her face slowly popped out, then her whole body._

_He kept smiling, then exposed the stuffed animal on his bed._

_She gulped, then slowly made her way. Each step led closer to his presence._

_First, second step._

_His smile seemed reassuring, but she was warned of strangers._

_Third, fourth step._

_Her stuffed friend was imprisoned. She needed to save her._

_Fifth, sixth step._

_Just a little more, then she'll be victorious._

_Seventh, eighth step._

_He raised the toy slightly for emphasis, receiving a nervous yelp._

_Seventh, sixth step._

…

_Seventh, eighth… ninth, tenth…_

_Soon, she was at arm's reach._

_Hurriedly, she tried swiping her friend._

_She missed. The girl landed right in his lap, receiving a painful hiss from the boy._

_She stayed still. Oh no. _'Please, don't hurt me!'

…

…_Huh?_

_Her opening eyes turned toward him._

_He kept smiling._

_He was still… smiling?_

"_H-Here you go." He placed the puppy in front of her._

_Her eyes dotted toward Akamari, then at him, then back and forth and so on._

_She finally swiped her, making a break for it._

_Once passed the door, she slowed down, and look at the opened entrance._

_Small, big eyes peaked through once again._

_He raised his hand, but instead of fleeing like last time, she saw him waving._

_She hesitated, before closing the door._

-Empty-

Who would have thought the grandfather of their client was Tazuna himself, their first C-Ranked client. It was bizarre actually, having both Watanabe members targeted by outcasts, assuming the damage dealt to Arato was manmade. So bizarre in fact, that coincidence could not be in the line of reasoning. There had to be something going on, but Kakashi didn't get much from family members either.

They were struck with peculiarity as well. Strange, strange indeed.

"_They could be deceiving us."_

Was Kurenai's lowered comment. Maybe, but he supposed implying such a declaration over the dinner they were relentlessly sanctified with by the family wasn't the best place to mention it.

Squeak.

"Gochi-s-sosama deshi-ta." Ken muttered, thanking the stunned Tsunami, not to mention everyone else, for the meal.

"Ke–" Naruko started, but halted when Ken began to leave, his plate untouched.

"Ken-kun!" Kakashi cried sternly, but the boy was gone.

-Empty-

"Ken!" Naruko cried out, looking left and right for the green haired boy. Man, why was it so difficult to spot a batch of green hair? Was it not one of a kind? Oh well, it didn't matter. She was determined to find her friend no matter what. How he left so urgently; it was obvious to her that there was something bothering him. She had a sneaking suspicion what it might be though.

Finally, her eyes landed on someone resting their behind on the outskirts near the recently built bridge of the Land of Waves. Her pacing slowed down considerably, knowing exactly how he might feel. With a deep breath, she approached warily.

"Ken…?"

She saw his shoulders tensed a bit, but it slouched down afterward. "W-What is it…?"

His voice had a subtle break in it, tensing her emotions toward the situation. "Look," She decided to start, her mind looking for the right words to say despite the strong sense of empathy, her feet finally resting nearby. "Ignore what Kakashi-sensei said, okay? He's just being over-protective." She hoped that was true though. In spite of the considerable time Team Seven spent together, a lot was still not said amongst them. Unfortunately, the only stable relationship they had for each other was professionalism. Well, excluding theirs of course. She didn't know if Kakashi-sensei really was being over-protective or actually angry at their recklessness.

"H-He's right, though."

Her eyebrows raised, but she took a seat next to him regardless. "No he's not. Well, maybe he is, but that shouldn't crumble us. It's meaning by itself was to build us up. And even still, you shouldn't let people's views get to you so negatively."

"Well, they j-just do sometimes, okay?"

Now her eyes bulged this time. His voice was stern, if not a bit stumbling due to his impediment. This was the first time he used such a tone against her. It was surprising, yes, but it was far from having her back out with uncertainty. She would be damned if she ever did.

He was her BFF after all.

"Don't let it–"

"How?" He gave a furrowing look, again, surprising the blonde. "One o-of the only people wh-who finally a-accepted me for who I-I-I am made their p-point pretty clear t-to me." He buried his head in his resting arms. "He w-wants nothing to d-do with me."

…

"Ken–"

"Please, j-just… just leave m-me alone, Naruko."

She scowled with her expression. "No."

"Why? You p-probably hate me too."

Spontaneously, Ken's shoulders were suddenly gripped tightly and was flung sideways, his shocked look observing the dangerous glare Naruko had sowed.

"You think I hate you?" Her voice spoke with disgust, her nose wrinkling with disbelief, "Why would you even think that? How long have we known each other, Ken?"

He didn't reply. His mind was on another level of speechlessness.

"Listen here Ken, cause I'm only going to say this once. I will _never_, and I mean _never _think OR feel about you in that way, _ever! _I care too much about you to hate you."

"…Why?" His eyes settled down a bit. "Wh-Why would you care so m-m-much? I'm nothing s-special. All I a-am is a stuttering b-bastard who c-can't do shit to a-actual ninja, let a-alone _be _one. You c-could have b-been better off w-with so many o-others. So many invitations re-j-jected, and f-for what?! To h-h-h-have a fucked u-up, half b-baked, unwanted t-teammate smile?"

Her eyes were shadowed darkly, her expression stoned without emotion.

"Was i-it really worth it? Is it r-really worth the trouble?" Ken gritted his teeth sharply. "At least answer me! Or am I-I not worthy of th-that as well? Huh? Am I? _Am I!? Am–"_

SLAP!

…

Ken's eyes ogled sporadically at the scene next to him. There was nothing interesting there though, only water, but his still dazed mind couldn't decipher that much. Only once it calmed down of it's sudden high, a warm and powerful sting taking charge right after, Ken finally came to.

He turned slowly. Cerulean, _intense_ cerulean eyes stared back. Burning with an undesirable anger.

Unforgettable pain.

Dreadful tears.

They were slowly erupting like an opening faucet.

His hand leisurely came up to his face, fingertips tenderly testing the waters, scared to be scorched. He was too fixated to even suck in air when it collided with a harsh sensation.

"_How dare you…" _She muttered, shoulders shivering wildly, eyes again shadowed, as if ashamed. "How _dare _you!" She shouted, tugging aggressively on the gift wrapped around his neck– his green scarf.

"_W-Wha…?"_ Was all he could say.

"How dare you degrade Ken like that! Who gives _you _the right to degrade my best friend!?"

"I–"

"Whoever you are…" Her eyes exposed their puffy wateriness, "You better _fuck off _and give my Ken back control over himself!"

"…N-Naruko…"

"It's not Naruko!"

He flinched.

"_It's not Naruko… it's not, you hear me? It's… Naru-ko…"_

…

They stayed like that, their surroundings not even secondary. Time was frozen, and yet, the birds' endless chirping they heard occasionally were like dented fractures in the dome they were in.

Finally, Naruko spoke, with a downcasted, yet hopeful tone. _"Do you remember…"_

…

"Do you remember the bracelets we made for each other?" She let go, gradually lifting up her sleeve. A white string met their eyes, it's contents a variety of unconnected, worn out trinkets. It was, to sum it up, a poor excuse of a valuable item, so to speak, despite the different, though bleached colors painting the dented knick knacks.

He stared at the somewhat hideous creation he shaped for her. In hindsight, it was just a poor (literally) child's artifact that could've been better in many, _many _ways. Ken sub-consciously rolled up his sleeve, the concept the same around his own wrist, courtesy of Naruko. This one at least had some sort of bright glow to it, despite them being in the same boat. The colors were brighter as well, if not smudged with age and dirt.

"We were young back then, but we still ended up doing something out of the box for our age." She chuckled fondly, her eyes and fingers cooingly caressing the bracelet around her. "It was so sudden. The idea just popped up in our heads at the same time, we gave it to each other at the same time, and we even thanked each other at the same time." She giggled cutely, the treasured memory still amusing to her. "It might be coincidental we did those things simultaneously, but I don't believe it was by chance." After all, she believed there had to be a deeper meaning to it all, as if they were connected somehow.

"…Wha…" He bit his lip, realizing his voice hadn't properly left it's base for a while. The last time was with unnecessary anger, right before the red glowing hand imprinted itself on his swollen cheek. "Wh-Wh-What do you m-mean?"

She glanced up at him, her mouth suddenly closing from it's moment of foreseeing work when her eyes fell dead on the bright side of his face. Her eyes widened in shock, as if she wasn't sure where he abruptly got such a mark in the first place. It was probably because Naruko didn't know she had put _that much _power into her quote on quote gentle wake up call.

She gulped nervously, standing up for a frantic search. "W-Wait here."

-Empty-

Mixing the moisture as quick and efficient as possible, Naruko tenderly dampened some of the natural remedy on the struck spot.

He winched in pain.

"Hold still." He did, or at least, he attempted to. Damn that hurt. The aftermath, _and_ the enforcement. "Sorry."

"It's fine." He gave her a small smile, despite the hurt it inflicted upon him to do so. "It'll be a-a-a reminder for me t-to not get on y-your bad side from n-now on."

She laughed sweetly; that beautiful melody he loved. It made him smile even more, chuckling too, the pain behind him for the meanwhile.

The joke died out, and Naruko went back to soothing his cheek as much as she could.

"Where d-did you learn to make herbal m-medicine like this?"

She raised a brow, chuckling. "I'm surprised you're asking me this only now after I treated you so many times before back at the Academy."

He shrugged with a sheepish smile. "I always th-thought of you as being n-naturally talented at e-everything. Still d-do."

A tint gave off on her cheeks.

"Careful," He chuckled, "I th-think both of your cheeks n-n-need some treatment t-too."

The tint just strengthened after hearing that. "Jerk." She playfully punched his shoulder, both of them laughing once more.

"You know," Naruko soon began, "I only learned myself when I realized you couldn't stop tripping on your own shoelaces. So really, you should be grateful, you dork."

"Hey!" He furrowed. "The ground w-wanted company. So really, _th-they're _the o-ones who should b-be grateful."

They erupted with joyful laughter for a third time, knowing Ken tripping was never an inability he had in the first place. Well, at least not a frequent inability.

"But honestly," She wiped a tear, "I knew having such a skill would come in handy someday, so I took the initiative and asked Ojii-san and Ayamenee-chan for lessons."

"They kn-know about these kinds o-of s-stuff?"

"More or less." She dipped her finger in the moist cream and continued to apply gently on his violated cheek. "Ojii-san knew a bit. Despite being a Ramen chef, he only knew a handful of healthy greens out there, but he didn't know how to use it in _that _kind of way. Regardless, he was still helpful. Ayamenee-chan took it a step further though. Being in the fourth grade back then, her knowledge was really impressive. Then again, I don't know jack about noncombatant schools. Still, it was really helpful how much effort she had put in teaching me, and she isn't even a medic ninja! I'm really grateful for her, since I get to treat the wounds of my best friend instead of feeling powerless."

Ken smiled warmly at her, but then the last word counteract everything that happened so far, a sick reminder of how 'helpful' he was to others throughout his life. Naruko could tell what that frown meant, since the origins of them being here was still hindering under the sheets.

"Ken." He looked at her, her eyes intense once again, but this time a caring nature was behind the stern stare they gave him. "Do you know why I became friends with you?"

"…"

"…Ken?"

His eyes had drifted down, but with his name being called out a second time in the recent mood swing, the green Genin again gave her the attention she was expecting. "…Because… because I n-needed one…?"

"Ken." She furrowed.

"I don't know." He looked to his side, unsure. "I don't kn-know anymore, okay? I just… I j-j-just don't know anymore…"

Nothing made sense anymore. It didn't for a while. He just decided to ride the unpredictable wave, not knowing what to expect. Still, the same outcome was apparent.

His emotions died piece by piece, slowly emptying his shell. Slowly reverting himself back to past Ken. The Ken who curled up in a sad little ball, waiting to be adopted. Waiting to be acknowledged without spite.

Waiting for someone to save him before it was too late.

Two digits fitted his chin, turning his head back to the blonde. She gulped. There were tears threatening to fall from his red orbs.

"Let me remind you then." She scooched closer. "Let me remind you why I became your friend."

Her hand ended up on the pale cheek on the left.

"Because you are sweet."

"_You're the coolest person I've ever met!"_

Her eyes softened, yet the tensed meaning still lingered in them.

"Because you are kind."

"_Ha hah! Stop it Ken-kun, my sides are hurting!"_

Her face inched closer.

"Because you are strong-willed."

"_Why are you frowning, silly. Here, take my hand. Cool people should be standing up proudly, 'ttebayo!"_

Inches depleted one by one, until only a fraction of immensely thick atmosphere separated them.

"Because you are special in your own way."

"_I will never leave your side, Ken. _Never_…"_

She gently closed her eyes, his eyes bulged in surprise.

They touched.

Metal against metal.

Headband against headband.

"…_Because, I like you too much to not be."_

"…Because, you are too precious of a person to not be friends with."

She opened her eyes.

Magical cerulean stared back at vulnerable red.

"…Because you're my _Kenny-kun_, and will always be. Until the end of time."

-Empty-

_She took a deep breath, and opened the door._

_Eyes connected once more, and as she slowly made her way to him, she couldn't pinpoint the horrifying truth behind that smile of his. The truth everyone told her that had no lie._

_Truth and fiction._

_The difference had no alignment, and now, she was shuffling awkwardly in front of him._

_He stared._

_She gulped._

_She saw him raise a hand._

_He greeted her with the gesture._

_She followed with her eyes, then hesitatingly followed with her own hand._

_She greeted back._

_He smiled warmly._

_She cracked a small smile of her own._

_Later on, dinner peered through the already opened door, but the woman holding it stopped herself in her tracks when her eyes laid upon the two children laughing with each other._

_Her mouth hung a bit, the current scene being the last thing she was expecting._

_Steadily, a smile fell upon her lips as well._

_Finally…_

"…my little Kibira has a friend."

_If only she knew what would happen during the awaiting days. She could've prevented this whole thing from ever starting in the first place._

-Empty-

'_Man, could time just pass already!' _What Sakuri would do to go home right now, to spend time with that special someone. Maybe breaking some rules were in order? I mean, what was the worse that could happen? Being suspended? Well, good riddance to a few days stuck in this hell hole. That just meant more time with her Kennii-sensei, which would just give her more of a reason to take matters into her own hands. Besides, the lessons her sensei was giving her were more efficient than the Academy was teaching her.

'_I guess I would take my disruptive leave, if not for my mother.'_ She shivered uncomfortably at the thought. Gosh, was that woman not to be messed with, unless you wanted to have a reason to practically _live _in the hospital for the rest of your life. No exaggeration there, folks. Sakuri supposed another few hours were not _that _bad compared to the foreseeing consequence waiting for her if she _did_ decided to become a 'bad girl'.

Sighing with dissatisfaction, Sakuri continued to sit in the classroom. Recess was amongst the children, but she was inclined to not waste time making her way outside just to return back to class by an unwanted assembly. Too bad she didn't feel the only way, or at least that was what she expected the reasoning the others around her in class had. Thank goodness they were minding their own business, which gave her the cerebrating space she needed for her amazing Kennii-sensei.

"Hey there, Mimiru!" Her eyes ended up drifting with boredom to her right. Some children were approaching a specific girl next to her. Probably the new girl, judging by her appearance. But then again, she didn't give others the acceptable attention needed for acknowledgement. "What are you drawing there?"

"Oh, n-nothing." She giggled nervously, tugging the sheet under her desk.

"C'mon, you can show us. We promise we won't laugh, right girls?"

Despite the chorus of nods, Mimiru was still not sure. Slowly though, she decided to reveal her art, her face furiously blushing with embarrassment.

Sakuri's eyes drifting back to the window, attempting to block the rest of the uninteresting conversation from her person.

"Wow! Cool picture!"

"Y-You really think so?"

"Of course! But who's this though?"

"Well, it's no one special. I-I-I mean, he is special, _really_ special, but I don't think anyone else see him as such."

"Oh, you mean your boyfriend?"

"W-Wah!" Mimiru became beet red. "N-N-No, it's not like that! Well, I mean…"

"Wait, I remember that guy."

"You do?"

"Yeah, that's the green haired boy everyone hates, isn't it?"

Sakuri's eyes bulged, her snapping head startling the girls near her, including Mimiru. Her eyes ogled unprecedentedly at the doodle. It was unprofessional in it's accuracy, but she could make out the green batch of hair on top of a scribbled figure. A figure that could only represent one person in Konoha.

Her eyes moved toward a still startled Mimiru.

"You know Kennii-sensei?"

"Kennii-sensei?" Mimiru's eyes bulged. "You call my hubby _sensei?"_

"Hubby?" Sakuri and the girls gasped, but the Uchiha soon gave them a threatening look. "What are you guys still doing here?"

They gulped, but left immediately.

"Yes, he is my sensei, but I doubt he is your _hubby_."

"But he is." Mimiru furrowed, before looking shyly toward her side. "I mean, he will be."

"No, he will _not_." The Uchiha glared. "And if you think some girl like you will ever have a chance in marrying him, then you are sorely mistaken."

Mimiru flinched at the sudden prod of a finger against her chest, but she sub-consciously put on her own menacing glare. "And what makes you believe in such a fairy tale?"

"He's mine." She simply said, inching closer as if the Uchiha would bite her entire head off any second. "So you better think twice if you're considering getting between us."

Mimiru chuckled, amused. "And since when have you felt this way?"

"Ever since he saved me from myself."

"Gee, your life must have really sucked." Sakuri glared further. "And when was this exactly? Yesterday? A week ago?"

She didn't answer.

"News flash princess: I felt strongly about my hubby ever since I was little, when the only things I felt were dread and despair. The way people spit on him, at least we relate to each other. What reason do a person like you have? Because he saved you?" She tapped the finger away from her, sitting up properly. "Wake up sleepy head, he's just _that _magnificent of a person to _not _ignore a spoilt little Uchiha such as yourself who was in desperate need of a bandage for her 'boo-boo'."

"You…" Sakuri was taken aback by the sudden change in attitude, but soon recomposed herself, "You can say whatever you will, it won't change the fact that Kennii-sensei would laugh at your proposal of being together with him."

Mimiru giggled cutely, but to everyone's opened ears, was more sickeningly adorable than anything else. Then, with a demonic echo to her voice, Mimiru glared evilly at the wary Sakuri.

"Wanna bet, _bitch?"_

All the while, a certain Hyuga clan member looked on with interest.

-Empty-

"Dad."

"Hmm?" Teuchi wiped some sweat from his forehead, the last customer for today finally served and had just left for the revealing night. "What is it, honey?"

"Well, about what happened today at school."

"Yeah?" He casually closed the borders of his store like always.

She bit her lip. Not this again. "You didn't mention it since we left the building."

"Oh." He finally gave her his concerned attention. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. I mean, yes. I mean, isn't it suppose to be compulsory?"

"Compulsory to mention something unproblematic?"

"_Dad_." She furrowed distastefully.

"What?"

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what again?"

"Ignoring the problem."

"Like I said, it's not a serious matter, honey."

She glared even further. "How can you say that when you were told your daughter is failing class, not to mention the reason being silly and insignificant as a crush."

He frowned. "Why would you berate your love for Ken like that?"

"I'm not. I mean," She grumbled frustratingly, "Normal fathers would scowl at their children for allowing themselves to be vulnerable like that right about now!"

"Normal?"

Her eyes bulged. "I, I didn't mean it like that. I-I just…" She sighed. "I feel like you're taking this too coolly. You're spoiling me too much, dad. Please, just…" She bit her lip, "at least ground me or something. Just give me at least one repercussion already!"

He gave her a stare, but other than that, he was silent to the response.

The silence wasn't helping her one bit. It only extended the time she had without any consequence. It was maddening how her father was going about this predicament as well, not including the past calmness he projected ever since they left that darn 'educational palace'.

Finally, she was granted a reply. "Have I ever told about how your mother and I met?"

…What?

"…No…"

"It was a rainy day." He started cliché-like. "The lightning clouds weren't showing signs of letting go. It kept pouring."

"Dad…"

"She was using some building as shelter. Gosh, was that maiden freezing."

"Dad, why are you telling me this?"

He paused to consider her question, but continued regardless. "Now, I wasn't the perfect gentleman out there, still am not, I usually minded my own business if it was possible or necessary, but your mother, your mother was an exception beyond belief. Now, I won't bore you with a barrage of adjectives, like before, since you were already told she was like a beautiful angel sent from above to help me out of my pit of loneliness once and for all. But back then, she was really fragile, if I were to be honest."

He took a seat, gesturing the spot next to him. Ayame complied.

"She told me she was lost just like I was, waiting for that one moment in her life to finally come around. Her only parent recently past on, leaving her alone. School became hollow for her. Your mother was at her wit's end. But meeting me, she said she finally got what she wanted."

"What was that?"

"Meaning." He smiled fondly. "Meaning to live, honey."

…

"I know it might seem more of a curse than a blessing to have, but what you feel for Ken-kun shouldn't be taken lightly. Love shouldn't be taken lightly at all, sweety. That storm that brought me and your mom together that day is currently washing over you. You just got to reach for the sun again, honey. Reach for what drives you, not what you crave. Craving fantasies with him is okay, but right now, you need to find the drive instead." He placed a palm on her shoulder. "Use your love for Ken-kun as the goal for your life if nothing else, not only for your future alone."

Ayame glanced at the placed hand, then at the confident eyes of her father. A moment of stillness passed by, just to be interrupted by a sudden wide smile from the brunette. She embraced the man tightly, surprising him.

"Thank you, dad. Thank you _so_ much."

He smiled back. "Anything for my little girl."

-Empty-

"Ken." A shadowy person's voice softly reverberated through the enclosed space they were in. They took their white mask off, gripping the cork with their teeth before wearily pulling the tube open. Acidic-like elixir downed itself, the glowing substance being devoured with one weak, yet hungry gulp.

Their body soon reformed the necessary dying cells back in perfect order, the fallen decomposed skin being left behind by a newly, fresh replacement. Damn, did it stink like a dead pig in this fucking grotto. Oh well. "Strange name indeed for something like him. A leaf ninja no less."

A messenger bird soon arrived, the capsulated letter at arm's reach.

They opened it, absorbing themselves in the message. They tossed the letter to the side, it's significance gone. "Whatever."

The ebony haired girl stood up, taking the arisen into consideration.

"I can worry about that later. Right now though, my main objective is to infiltrate Konoha, and kill the Shudame hiding inside it." She stated, her name written in Hiragana on the discarded letter.

_Haku._

**-Empty-**

**End of Chapter**

**Before you correct me, remember that this is an AU you're reading, ladies and gentlemen.**

**I know I've been saying this after every chapter, but it's the least I can do for the continued support you all are giving me. Thank you so much for the reviews, views, favs and fols. It really, and I mean really, means the world to me.**

**Until next time.**

**-Narurific-**


	13. Replacing The Heart

**Chapter 13**

**Replacing The Heart**

**-Empty-**

"So," Sarutobi stared at the two Jounin interestedly, "was the mission executed successfully?"

"Hai, Lord Third." Kakashi bowed his head slightly. "Aside from the few hiccups here and there, it went considerably well. Ms. Arato was escorted safely to her home, which was actually discovered to be the Watanabe residence."

"Really?" The man seemed genuinely surprised. "Go figure. Seems odd though that both members were targeted during their trip from Konoha, regardless of the reason. Well, maybe not completely irrespective, since it appears there is an ulterior silver lining under the covers."

"We believe so too, Lord Third."

"And these so called 'hiccups'?"

"We were attacked." Kurenai spoke up.

"Attacked? By the culprit?"

"We're not entirely sure." Kakashi stated. "They had an unfamiliar mask on; white with streaks of redness at the bottom. I can't say for certain they were responsible for the damage dealt to Ms. Arato, but the possibility still hangs. The only regret I have is letting them slip through my fingers."

"They must be really skilled if they were able to slip through _your _fingers, Kakashi-sensei."

"I suppose."

"Is everyone okay though?"

"…Yes, yes they are, Lord Third."

"Good, at least no one got hurt in the process. Anything else I should know of?"

"No."

Kurenai gave the man next to her a glance with a still head, saying nothing on the topic.

"Very well. Good job, you two. You may be excused."

-Empty-

"What was that?"

"Hmm?" The silver-haired Jounin looked to his side, relaxed in place. "What was what?"

The red-eyed beauty stopped him in the middle of his roof traveling.

"Back at the Hokage's office." She approached the man.

"What of it?"

She furrowed.

The man sighed. "Look, as much as I respect Lord Third, I don't think it would be in his best interest to worry about a problem as mundane as that."

"Which one? Your team's 'misbehavior', or Kenjo in specific?"

"…Both."

"So Kenjo is problematic by himself on an everyday basis then?"

"All three of them are."

"But the way you isolated the boy made it sound as if he's the biggest."

"I don't view them unequally, Kurenai."

"That's what you say, but how you treated them the day before doesn't match your words."

"What do you mean?"

She gave him a considerable stare before speaking up, "I usually don't opinionate people on their way of going about teaching their students, but your batch is a special case. You berated all of them, fair enough, but telling Kenjo to disband just like that, and with such an uncompromised tone? It's like you see him as an anchor if nothing else."

"Kurenai–"

"I know he's circumstances are unfortunate, and his contribution might not be the best in terms of an average ninja, but Kami damn it Kakashi, the kid's trying his best to even keep up. Don't you see that?"

Kakashi's eye widened. Wow, this really escalated quickly and unexpectedly. Her raised anger was finally leaking through her voice, her face cringing uncharacteristically. It was weird though. If she really felt this before, then why didn't she mention it after his team's lecture? Was she just trying to suppress it? But then, why though?

Aside from what she actually said, why did she feel this way in the first place? Was it just in her nature to care this much for other students, or was there something deeper in her emotions? It had to be the latter; he didn't know her _that _well, but they were comrades, and his insight of her was at least on a basic level. Yuhi Kurenai never overreacted in such a way.

"I understand what you're saying–"

"Do you?" She stared hard. "Do you know how important Kenjo is? What role he plays?"

…What?

"Kurenai, what are you talking about?" He asked skeptically. "What do you mean by 'role'? Is there something you're not telling me?"

Kurenai's anger seemed to suddenly evaporate like a sudden change in the climate, her face putting on a cognizant expression. Kakashi raised his eyebrow expectantly. "No. No, I'm not."

"You sure? Your face tells me differently."

"I said no, Kakashi." She turned her back to him. "Just be more considerate of him… _please_…"

His eye spoke volume of his surprise, but the kunoichi was long gone.

-Empty-

_Man, this sucked._

_The one time she needed Ryo, she didn't have it. Well, she never really had money before, but this wasn't the time to be thinking about that. Time was ticking__–__ that darn menacing ticks and tocks__–__ and she needed to be ready before it was too late._

_Her eyes stared longingly at the items through the looking glass, the prices stabbing her in her worried heart. She bit her lower lip, but shook her head. She didn't even have the inkliest of a clue on what she actually wanted to buy._

"_Gosh darn it!" She cried out, retreating from the store. This was really bad. How was she going to make a single Ryo if she couldn't even get a job? I mean, she knew she was too young, but the looks people gave her already neglected her hope to occupy herself in their workspace regardless of her age._

_Noone liked her for some reason. Well, except the people who were close to her heart. Including the person she wanted to buy a gift for._

_After all, next week was his birthday._

'C'mon stupid brain, think! Where else can I check to gain Ryo?'_ It didn't answer, not even with a thought. She sighed. This was hopeless, and yet, she couldn't just give up. That wasn't who she was._

_Her eyes tiredly drifted upward. It came across a sign. They widened. The corners of her pair of lips rose._

_That was it!_

_She knew where to get help now._

_She would finally get a gift for her friend._

_She just needed to work at Ichiraku Ramen to get there though._

_It would all be worth it in the end._

_Oh yeah, it would definitely be._

-Empty-

"Hey mom, we're back!"

Man, was Kibira tired, and yet, she found the energy to announce her return home. Probably a habit. Her feet slouched through the room, Akamari following rather casually compared to her best friend.

"Kibira?" Tsume's voice met the girl's ears, actually surprising her. Why wouldn't she be? Her mother was usually out and about with Anbu related business. So hearing her actually being home for once, especially during the afternoon was rare down to the doggy bone.

Why would she then call out her arrival if she expected her mother to not be around? Again, it was probably just an old habit. Good, bad? Too tired to care though.

The Anbu Jounin soon appeared from the next room, her mask not in sight. "I see you're back from your mission."

"Yeah." She stopped her journey to her room to address her mother properly. Kami knows her parent shouldn't be messed with. "I wasn't expecting mom to be home at this time."

"You called out, didn't you? Or were you expecting Hana to answer?"

"Meh, false habit." The Genin shrugged. "And Hana is usually at work at this time, well, all the time I suppose."

"She's a veterinarian, Kibira." Tsume stated. "It's her duty to be on her toes practically twenty-four seven in case of an emergency. Much like how we're expected to enact in our fields."

"Shouldn't mom be out on duty then?"

It was plain curiosity, but the question's intentions were interpreted differently from Tsume. The woman furrowed toward her daughter, who realized the dangerous aura hitting her being with an accelerated shiver. "I was put off duty for the day. Stupid reason if you ask me, something about not taking a break once in a while. We already beginning to lack the numbers in our squadrons and yet they seemed it was a good idea to give me an off-day."

"Well, you _are _pushing yourself too much, mom. You barely at home nowadays."

Tsume glared even further, causing both Kibira and Akamari to take a step back. "I don't need your opinion if you're going to agree with those numbskulls, Kibira."

"S-Sorry."

"…How was your mission? I heard it was a success."

"Yeah."

"Any mishaps?"

"No, not really."

"Not really?"

"I mean, it wasn't really… it was just, there was an incident involving Naruko and Ken."

Tsume's eyebrows rose. "What happened?"

"Well, we were chasing the scent of the enemy, supposedly, when Ken got lost. Naruko went back by herself to get him but they were ambushed by a masked man."

"Masked man? What did the mask look like?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"I wasn't there. We split up for more ground, and Kakashi-sensei's group scared him off before we even arrived."

"…"

"…Mom?"

"Hmm?" The red streaked face of Tsume gave the girl a glance.

"You okay? You look troubled."

"It's… nothing. I think I need to speak to Kakashi myself to get more info on this mystery man."

"You leaving already?"

"I was here almost an hour, Kibira, so yes, yes I am." The woman opened the front door, ready to spring into action. She turned her head however, looking Kibira straight in the eye. "You didn't really interact with _him _too much, did you?"

"No." Kibira knew who her mother was talking about. Akamari could sense the troubled emotion weighing on her friend; the pup giving her a worried look.

"Good."

"Why though?" Tsume stopped in her tracks, giving the girl another glance.

"You know why, Kibira."

"You expect me to honestly believe he would hate me if we continued to be friends?"

"Yes." The woman gave the girl a stern expression, but Kibira wasn't looking her mother in the eye. The ground was more inviting at this point.

"Well I don't."

"I don't care what you believe in, actually. Just do what you're told to do."

"But–"

"I'm not having this argument with you _again, _Kibira. Just stay away from Ken as best you can."

"…"

Tsume turned her back again, and sighed. "I know it's hard to do. You guys were close friends."

"_Best _friends." Kibira muttered. "He had no one to turn to, no one cared about him. We were all he had."

"…I know."

"He was so happy. I was so happy. I finally had someone to play with aside from my plush toys and you just… you just chucked him away!"

"…"

"…Why?"

"I told you already."

"No you didn't!" Kibira raised her voice, tears beginning to form. "All you told me was an excuse!"

"Kibira–"

"Please, mom," Kibira sobbed, finally breaking down with all of the painful weight that had been on her shoulders for years, "I won't ask for anything anymore. Just, please," She clutched her chest, each beat was hurting even more than the last, "I need him."

"Stop it, Kibira–"

"_I LOVED HIM!"_

…

The woman turned around, shocked beyond belief. "What?"

"I…" She looked up, tears deforming her makeup. "I love him, mom."

"…What… what are you… since when?"

"…I, I don't know. Awhile I guess. I suppose I felt affection for him when I was young, but I think it strengthened at the Academy."

"But you didn't talk to him back then, did you?"

"N-No…"

"So how could you feel so strongly for him if you haven't even talked to him in so long?"

"I don't… I, I don't know, okay?!" She snapped. "I don't know about these things, about love, about falling in love. I never had before, but with him, I… I just know, okay? I can feel it. This intense feeling, the twisting pain of knowing that I will never be able to confess to him, of being by his side just because of some stupid reason you don't wanna tell me about."

"…"

"…I don't know how… I just don't know how I'll be able to withstand it any longer. So please, just let me speak to him at least."

Tsume's eyes bulged, Kibira finally gave her enough time to evaluate her own pair. The pupils were distorted with salty water, burning red and puffy with the aching reality she inflicted upon them. At that instance, she had a flashback reinforcing the reason of Kibira's love right back into her brain. At that instance, Tsume finally realized how hurt her daughter had been ever since Ken left the Inuzuka residence for good.

She finally realized the amount of the destructive result she destroyed Kibira's heart with.

In that instance, her own heart cracked as well.

-Empty-

_Today didn't start very well. In fact, it was a disaster, a complete and utter disaster. But it wasn't over yet. The sun's cycle through the day wasn't complete yet. The pain in her heart wasn't at it's climax. It was going to get even worse. Damn, if only she could fast forward or something, then she didn't need to experience the dreadful moment that was waiting for her around the corner._

_The woman gulped._

_She could hear the childish voices playing a wall away._

"_He heh, you're so funny, K-kun."_

_Her daughter's sweet innocent giggling was heard._

"_No I'm n-not."_

_That stuttering adorableness the woman got used to hearing rang through her good earshot like a cute lullaby._

"_Yes you are. Even Akamari is laughing."_

"_Which o-one?"_

_That was right. Her daughter named her pup that she got a few weeks ago after her plushie doll._

"_Both."_

_She giggled again, earning a nervous chuckle from the boy. The woman was on the other side of the room, right in front of the door, listening to the two kids who were drowning in youthful fun. Her frown deepened. Shit, this was really going be difficult. She needed to end it as soon as possible before things escalated too far. But she couldn't do it though, she couldn't break her daughter's only line of friendship with the same species. But she had to. Especially if she saw _that.

_The memory sent an uncomfortable shiver down her spine._

_She'll give them some time. Only _some. _It didn't need to be _now_, but soon for the most._

_The woman sighed, finally deciding to step away from the door._

"_Now let's do it right this time, okay K-kun?" The girl looked at him with her usually wide, innocent smile._

"_S-Sure."_

_The five year old boy watched as the young girl got everything in place once more._

"_Okay, let's begin."_

_The tail-swaying pup looked at the two by the sidelines, the girl scooching closer in front of the boy._

"_I should s-start first, right?"_

"_Mmhmm." She nodded excitedly._

_He took a breath, readying himself._

"Ken-kun." The woman appeared after some time, seeing the boy look up from his bed. His content smile wasn't helping either.

"Oh, hi m-momma." Her heart sank deeper. At least her daughter wasn't around, that would've been even more painful otherwise. As if this _alone_ was easier to endure. She gulped.

"_I, Tayamaru K-K-Kenjo, vow to thee, I-Inuzuka Kibira," He started, holding her hands in his, "th-through sickness and h-health, through u-ups and downs, through the f-flames of evil, through e-empty starvation, and through the r-rain of despair, that I will a-always love you unto d-death do us a-apart."_

_Her heart soared like nothing before. He said it before, but there was obviously more passion behind it than last time. He memorized it, for her. She felt like the luckiest girl in the world. Her smile warmed it's way through her flu-like cheeks, her fingers entwining around his even further._

"It's time."

"T-Time? For lunch? C-Cool!" He smiled brightly. "I couldn't wait a-any longer, momma. Your f-food's just the _b-best_."

Crack. Her heart shattered even further.

"_And I, Inuzuka Kibira, vow to thee, Tayamaru Kenjo, through sickness and health, through ups and downs, through the flames of evil, through empty starvation, and through the rain of despair, that I will _ALWAYS _love_ _you too, unto death do us apart."_

"No, Ken."

"Hmm? What's the m-matter then?"

"It's about the Orphanage."

"The Orphanage?" His smile faltered, but became wider when his assumption came to be. "Oh, y-you mean you o-officially a-adopted me, momma?!"

His eyes sparkled clearly, full of happiness. He was finally going to be legitimately apart of a family. He was finally going to be apart of _the _family.

He was finally going to be adopted, and finally going to be part of a circle that would bring him joy.

"No," She shook her head, looking down in pain. She was going to cry before he even could get a chance. "I'm sending you back."

"…Huh?"

"I'm sending you back, Ken."

"But… but wh-why?" His voice began to crack as expected. "Did I… did I-I do something wr-wrong?"

"…"

"…I'm, I-I-I-I–" He bit his lip, trying to calm himself down. "…I-I-I-I'm s-s-sorry. I'm _so sorry! _Wh-Whatever I-I-I-I did, I'm… I'm s-s-sorry, m-momma! P-Please, don't s-s-s-send me b-b-back, I'll… I'll ch-change, momma! I'll be a b-better s-s-s-son, m-momma. I w-won't lay a-around anymore. I d-don't care if I'm s-still recovering. I-I-I'll, I'll do th-the dishes, I'll c-clean after m-m-myself w-without m-m-momma's h-help. I won't b-be a bother. I p-p-promise I won't!" He sniffed, his whole face demolished into a crying fit, mucus rained out his nose in runny pairs. "I-I-I-I-I–" His voice was almost gone, replaced by a glob of emotion in his throat. He couldn't even breathe. This was a joke, right? This wasn't happening. No… no, _no_… _"Just d-don't send me b-back. Please_…_!__"_

"Don't c-call me momma, Ken." She swallowed, her voice was slipping as well. "I'm not your mother. I never was."

"M-M-Momma, p-please…"

"Stop it."

"Please, mo–"

"I said stop it, Ken!"

His eyes widened from it's slouching sadness, tears wetting the sheets below.

…

"Come, let's go."

"No…"

"Ken."

"No!"

"Don't make it any harder than it already is."

"_No!"_

"Ken!"

"NO!" He couldn't even glare. And even if he could, he wouldn't. Not to her. Not to his mother. Not to the only person who cared ever since he was born. "I… I-I-I…" He clenched his angry fists, desperation was the last thing he was holding onto. He needed to change her mind, he needed to show how much he loved his mother right now!

_Both boy and girl stared at each other, affection on both sides. They leaned in, young lips about to collide._

He stared up at the woman– his mother– his first, last _and_ only star of hope in this dreadful life of his.

"_I love y-you, Kibira-chan."_

"_I love you, K-kun."_

"I love you, momma."

She continued to stare at the ground.

Stare.

Drip.

Stare.

Drip. Drip.

Stare.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

"I… I don't love you back, Ken."

His eyes bulged, ready to pop out along with their sorrow tears.

"I hate you. I hate you so much. Just go back to where you came from already."

That was it. The final nail in the coffin.

Those words, _those words, _had killed him. Right in the heart.

Tayamaru Kenjo was finally dead, from the inside.

What was left was an empty shell of a boy.

An _empty _shell indeed.

The next thing he knew, his world turned blank.

Just like his _empty _heart.

-Empty-

Gosh, homework could be such a drag sometimes. But it was expected though, since she _did _decided to enter the Academy near exam time. Which, now that she looked back, was really silly, even for Mimiru. But she supposed it was better becoming a student now than next semester, otherwise she would've lost a whole term's worth of work. That was a big no no, even for her mother– Haruno Mebuki. A 'little' homework wouldn't hurt, especially if it meant becoming the _best_ kunoichi there ever was. After all, it was all for one special person.

She sighed in bliss, her leading thoughts _far _better than the unpleasant journey home from the Academy.

Kennii-chan.

Gosh, was that name just the best! Full of attraction to her. It was just… just _wow!_

Man, she really was struck with young love. She was like a schoolgirl who was head over shoes for her crush. Her future husband. Her reason in life.

Too bad she wasn't the only one who felt this way, supposedly. But it was normal she guessed, he was just _that _gosh darn handsome. A certain Uchiha flashed through her mind, causing her hands to clench around her bag's straps.

_She's like a damn mouse that doesn't want to stop squeaking in our dream house. Always there, breaking our alone time._

Mimiru's face flashed dangerously. It's like everyone was trying to stop her from loving her attractive hubby. First her own onee-chan, and now that Saku chick. Who's next? Her mother? It better not be. One more roadblock and the girl thinks she might just snap and go berserk.

_I think they want to die, don't you?_

Mimiru chuckled cutely. _'I think so. Bizarre though. I mean, who would _want _to die?'_

_Either way, they're in the way._

"I know." She said out loud. "But let's not rush things, okay? This is my home after all, and unless I was told by my darling hubby, I won't go as far as to be a criminal, at least not to Konoha."

_Urgh, fine!_

She smiled, satisfied. Strange, she never knew her conscience actually _had _a conscience of it's own. Meh. At least it kept her company when she's alone.

Bump!

"H-Huh?" She shook her head for focus, getting a look at what she just walked in.

Ken smiled apologetically.

…Oh my gosh.

"Kennii-chan!" She burst, wrapping herself around him like a person in desperate need of external protection.

"H-Hey there, Mimi-chan." He patted her head, earning a purring coo from the youngster. "Sorry f-for bumping into you, _again_. You o-okay?"

"Uh huh, of course!" She smiled brightly at him, arms and legs practically choking him for affection. Her arms were around his neck, their faces mere inches from each other. "Even if I was, I know you didn't mean it."

"Good to kn-know you think so o-optimistic of me." He gave her a kind smile, ascending her heart even further to cloud nine.

"Ahem." A voice muttered. Mimiru looked right, then left.

Two others were beside them. Wait, two others? Does that mean…

"Who are you?"

"We're his teammates." Sasuku said, her eye twitching a bit due to the position the girl was hanging in.

"…Who?"

Naruko chuckled sheepishly. "I guess we haven't introduced ourselves yet. I'm Uzumaki Naruko, and I'm going to be the Hokage one day. A pleasure to meet you, little girl." The blonde ruffled the blunette's hair.

"Sasuku." The Uchiha simply said.

"Ooh." Mimiru dragged, her face showing realization. "I don't remember."

'_Yet you act as if you did.' _Sasuku deadpanned.

"Still, it's nice to meet you guys." Mimiru smiled widely. "My name is Mimiru, I'm Kennii-chan's wife."

"…Wait, what?" Sasuku questioned, both three members were bright red, Naruko and her were more rosy than Ken though.

They stared at the accused boy, who felt rather uncomfortable from their gaze. "I really d-don't know myself." His eyes stumbled onto Mimiru's, her furry tail swaying happily in the background. "A-Anyway, how w-was school, Mimi-chan?" Well, that was certainly bold of him, despite the carrier around her shoulders. Still, she was past the minimal age of preparing for peripheral education, so it should be obvious what the bag was for anyway. Even so, he supposed it was just his need of changing the subject, even if she's just a kid being spontaneously cute with her chirping. Really now, kid's nowadays could really catch you off guard.

"Eh?" She cocked her head to the side. "How did Kennii-chan know I'm attending Ninja Academy?"

"Ninja A-Academy?" He questioned unpredictably. "You attend th-the Academy?"

"Ah huh!" She bobbed her head furiously, as if she intended for the attached appendage to fall off. "I just started Monday."

"Wait, you mean yesterday?" Naruko asked incredulously. "But doesn't exams begin soon?"

"Yep." She chirped again, her eyes darting toward Naruko's taken aback expression. "I know I'm a _teensy_ bit late, but I got this covered."

She sounded confident enough, but was it really? She could've been just delusional, but Ken couldn't find it in himself to crush her with his discouraging opinion. So he simply gave her a warm smile, if not a bit wary, patting her head again just to receive a delightful purr from the cat girl. "I'm sure you'll ace every test there is."

She giggled, sighing against the loving ministration he was giving her. Oh gosh, she thinks she's falling for him even more!

"Anyway," Sasuku intervened, eyes momentarily following that annoying tail of the girl. "I think it's time we get a move on, don't you think, Dead Last?"

"Oh, y-yeah." He glanced back at the attached person around him. "Sorry Mimi-chan, i-it's time to get a m-move on."

"Aw." She pouted. "Can't I come with you, Kennii-chan?"

"Well–"

"Absolutely not." Sasuku cut off Ken's reply sternly. "Besides, don't you have to study for the upcoming exams? You said it yourself, you just started this week, so you better catch up."

"I know." She furrowed at the emo. "But it doesn't mean I can't hang out with my hubby."

"He's not your husband." She growled, annoyance filling her even more.

"Yes he is. Well, he will be."

"Sure." The Uchiha rolled her eyes. "Put her down already, Dead Last, and let's get going."

Naruko just watched from the sidelines curiously.

"You heard th-the lady, Mimi-chan." Ken looked down at the girl, just to meet the big puppy eyes of hers.

Moe. Moe. Too much MOE!

"There, th-there," He patted her, "how a-about we hang out t-tomorrow instead?"

"Really?" She sparkled, her tail going wild with happiness. "Like, a date?"

The two female Genin's eyes widened.

"Absolutely–" Sasuku tried to deny angrily, but Ken beat her to the punch.

"Sure. A-Anything for a friend." He ruffled her head, an erupting steam steadily flowing out of her feline ears. Her smile was threatening to literally split her face in half the way it crossed her expression, a face full of redness. Ken could even feel the racing drum of a heart musically hitting his own chest. It made him worry a bit, not knowing if the speed was normal for the organ or not. She was probably just happy, which made him happy too.

"H-Hai!" She nodded, crystal clear eyes never leaving his. But she at least complied and got her feet to carry her own weight again. "W-Where should we meet up, Kennii-chan?"

Her hips wouldn't stop swaying to the sides, attempting to mimic her tail on a less frantic degree. The way she held her hands behind her back, her big, fixated eyes locked in an infatuated spell, it was just so adorable.

"How a-about I pick y-you up at your p-place?"

Her heart soared romantically. Oh no, she was going to faint. She was going to embarrass herself by fainting right then and there. She won't be able to help herself; he was just so gosh darn incredible at sweeping her off her young legs each time he spoke and stared at her. Like right now.

'_Please stop it, hubby,' _she giggled internally,_ 'you're just too much. I don't deserve your treatment, but that's just you, isn't it? The handsome green guy with a desirable gentleman taste. I'm nothing compared to you.'_

"Mimi-chan?"

That beautiful voice made itself known again. My word, her trembling legs were going to give in! "H-Hai?" she stuttered, her voice more raspy than before. Her head was too in a dreamy daze to even concentrate anymore.

What year was it again?

"What d-do you say then? Shall I p-pick you up?"

She bit her lip in anxiety, trying to drain the nervousness from her nod as much as possible. "H-H-Hai!"

"Cool." He smiled genuinely, stepping past her. "See y-you after the A-Academy, okay?"

He patted her head once more, an electric spark of bliss blowing the last working brain cells to sleep. She whimpered lowly in ecstasy, trying not to make a fool of her stiff self even more. "B-B-B-Bye!" She gave him a million Ryo smile, the boy of her dreams giving her a small salute before taking his leave with his teammates.

How was she even standing? Why was she getting more nervous around him than before? She knew her heart was trapped in his grasp, but my Kami were these feelings going to kill her one day.

_Heh, you're hopeless, you know that?_

She didn't answer, but she did manage to give his direction a small wave. "Kennii-chan…" A small twinkle of something magical formed in her orbs, "…I-I love you _so much_…"

"What was _that _all about?" Sasuku questioned with a furrowed look.

"What w-was what?" Ken asked innocently.

"_That_." She swung her hand behind her. "Going on a date with a minor?! What were you thinking?"

"It's not a d-date, Sasuku-chan."

"Well, you certainly weren't denying it."

"She's just a-a kid." Ken said as a matter-of-factly. "It'll b-be a dick move t-to deny her."

"And it'll be criminal, not to mention perverted to go on a _date _with a child, Dead Last."

"I know." He averted from her. "But i-if making a f-friend smile means I'll g-get punished, m-maybe even die, then so b-be it."

"Stop being ridiculous, Dead Last!" She growled. "Are you even listening to yourself right now?"

"Of course." He gave her a look, smiling despite the glare being his reply. "I'd do th-the same for both o-of you guys, since y-you look c-cuter with a smile anyway."

Sasuku stumbled with her words, a deep blush painting her face. "B-Baka." She muttered, looking the other way. "…J-Just don't try anything funny with her, or I'll kill you."

"Yes, ma'am." He nodded respectfully, yet fear was obvious from how his face scrunched with terror. "Anyway, I'll s-see ya later, okay?"

"Huh?" The Uchiha stared back at her comrade. "You're not coming with me?"

"Sorry." He gave her a sympathetic smile. "I p-promise I'll come as soon a-as possible." He gave the silent Naruko a glance. "I h-have a lunch to pay after all."

The blonde's mouth hung a bit in shock.

"Tell Saku-chan I'll b-be there soon, okay?"

Sasuku folded her arms. "I'm not your errand girl, Dead Last."

"Please? I p-promise I'll make it up to y-you."

"_You could take _me_ on a date then." _Her eyes widened as round as they could go.

"Hmm? What w-was that?"

"N-Nothing! You're just hearing things!" She turned around quickly, attempting to hide her burning hot face. "I guess I'll do this one thing for you." She sent him a shoulder glare. "But you owe me one big time, you hear?"

"Hai." He nodded, unknowingly melting her heart with his kind smile. "Bye."

She finally let go of the breath she didn't know was being held back. _'What was that all about?' _She questioned internally, watching her teammates leave. _'I thought of dating Dead Last? And I suddenly felt funny when he smiled at me and called my own smile cute? What's going on with me?!'_ She ruffled her hair in frustration. _'I think I'm just tired. Yeah, that's probably it.' _She gave his direction one more look, a small smile crossing her face.

'_Ken-kun.'_

Her eyes widened again. Shit! She was definitely tired if she would think of his actual name, with that honorific no less. _'Damn it. I gotta get some shut eye, and fast.'_

-Empty-

_Finally, she had it._

_The perfect gift for her BFF._

_Well, maybe not perfect, but she had put her sweat and blood into buying the red scarf in her hands. Not to mention finding a way to actually purchase it. Villagers could be so cruel sometimes. But it didn't matter, she had what she wanted. And right on time too._

_Today was his birthday._

_Unfortunately, she had to sacrifice her time with him to put in the effort of working at Ichiraku Ramen. Thankfully there had been a position to work in behind the scenes so she couldn't be caught by a specific customer's incredible red eyes._

_The Ramen chef was truly a life saver._

_She giggled cutely, noting her schoolgirl attitude. He was going to love this scarf!_

_Red, just like his eyes. Great matchup, if she did say so herself._

_Now to just find her cool friend and–_

_Oof!_

_She stumbled on her butt, her scarf on one side. She stared. A bunch of kids stared back at her. Their three pair of eyes piercing her cerulean ones._

"_Well, well, well, look what we have here." The front boy said, his face familiar to her understanding._

"_Hey, I know you guys." She said, pointing an accusing finger at them, "you were the ones who hit my friend back at the Academy!"_

"_Aw, the little brat remembers." One of the boys at the back said, a dark chuckle escaping the boy in front. The same male who punched her BFF back then._

_Her palms clenched sub-consciously._

"_And look, she got me_ _something." He picked up the flowing scarf, the wind breezing against the four kids._

"_H-Hey!" She stood up. "That's not yours!"_

"_Really? Well I'm holding it, so it technically is." He smirked defiantly, arrogance leaking through his revealing teeth._

"_Give it back!" She reached, but was pushed roughly back to her behind._

"_Oh yeah? Make me."_

_She growled dangerously, standing back up and rushing forth with a fist._

_Wham!_

_Butt touched the floor, eyes clenching in pain._

_She felt her nose._

_It was running._

_Blood? The realization only caught up to her soon after._

"_Ooh." One of the boys behind hissed falsely. "Nice one, boss."_

"_Thanks." He gave the girl a devious look. "You realize you're taking on a second-year, you stupid bitch?"_

_She grimaced insolently._

_He snarled angrily. "Get ahold of her, I don't think the brat has learned her lesson yet."_

"_No." She attempted to swing, but was restrained, the two 'goonies' held her arms on either side, her legs flailing for freedom._

_Noone saw the clearly abusiveness going on near the alleyway, the business being dragged right inside said dark passage, and the people who did see did not act to stop the conflict. They didn't want to. They knew who was the victim. It was the boys– it was all of them– so there was no reason to give chase, except to watch one of the demon's long awaited punishments._

_What a freak._

_Whack._

_What a monster._

_Swung._

_What a disgrace._

_Crack._

_What a pathetic piece of flesh._

_Thrust._

_What a _demon_._

_The leader huffed, catching his breath. Damn brat! She wasn't even making a sound. Did she not feel the pain? No, that couldn't be it. He was stronger than this little bitch! Definitely. The slouching form of hers was proof enough, only staying in place due to his friends' grip on her arms._

_He gripped tighter onto the glove-acting scarf around his fist, the light redness of it's fabric being dampened by the more darker blood. He gave her one more punch in the gut, seeing the visible strand of saliva shooting out of her hanging head. The blow lifted her small fragile body upward, then landing as far as her legs could fall with the two still smirking evilly next to her._

"_Where's your little boyfriend now, huh?"_

_Wham._

"_I got detention _and _was grounded because of him!"_

_Wham!_

"_Are you listening, you stupid little brat!?"_

_WHAM!_

_He crouched, breathless. "What are you guys still holding her for!? Beat her up already!"_

_They let go, and resumed where he left off, sending her further into the quiet pain she was feeling._

_She didn't move. She just stayed there. On her stomach. Kick after kick, stomp after stomp, it just kept coming. A relentless barrage of assaults._

_After about a half an hour of no response, they finally gave in, looking at the unmoving body of the little girl._

"_Damn," One of them huffed, "I think we overdid it a little, boss."_

"_Don't give in, you pussy." The leader spat dangerously._

"_Yeah, you idiot." The other degraded, watching their senpai inhale a hoarse-filled blob before spitting the nasty ball of spit right into the minor's gold locks._

"_Bitch." He growled, giving her one more powerful stomp with his heel, attempting to crack her poor skull wide open. He panted, giving the fabric around his palm a look before a wicked expression formed. "Since I'm such a nice guy," He took a lighter out, "I'm gonna give your damn scarf back. Be grateful, you brat."_

_The flare begun to spread, the scarf tossed to the side as the three took their leave._

_Even after all of that, the youngster still didn't move._

_She stayed like that._

_All alone._

-Empty-

"Sorry."

Naruko looked up from her recent glance on the ground, giving the sudden vocal her attention. "Huh?"

"It's been awhile s-since we last had our u-usual lunch together." His gaze was on the ground just as how the blonde's had been, a frown pasting across his lips. "I seemed t-to be too 'busy' to even h-hang out with you a-anymore, Naruko. It was r-real douchie of me t-to deny you l-l-like that. And t-to think I couldn't e-even take you o-out yesterday too. Granted we w-were on a mission, but still, n-no excuse should be a legit-i-imate one."

He looked up at her, her eyes staring at him fixatedly. She could see the self-loathing written right in front of his orbs. He was truly sorry. He really was. Her heart suddenly ached with guilt. "I-It's fine, Ken, it's not your fault."

"It is." He furrowed. "Everything unrelat-ed to you should be s-secondary. I've failed you, N-Naruko. I failed as a f-f-friend. I wish I c-could take it b-back, but I can't. All I can d-do is try a-and atone, and damn i-it, I'm going t-to try my damnedest from n-now on!"

"Kenny…" Her eyes never left those passionate redness burning in front of her. Those eyes. His eyes, they were, they were so… so…

She gulped, looking down once more. She could feel the blood boiling in her cheeks.

"_Thank you."_

"Huh?"

"T-Thank you." She said louder, giving him the wonderful smile he knew and loved. "I know you will. But even still, I'm just glad we can have time together again." She moved closer, brushing her arm against his.

"Of course." Her expression snapped into one of surprise, her eyes trailing to her hand. His gloved hand was holding hers. Despite the lack of heat his pale body usually gave off, she could feel the coziness radiating through the fabric. She looked back at his eyes. Those eyes were just… so… "You're m-my BFF, aren't you?"

She gulped, her body was heating up like a toaster. But it felt wonderful though. She stuttered a nod, a content smile on her lips. "H-Hai." She sub-consciously entwined her thin, delicate fingers around his, Ken tightening the same for her. "We are."

-Empty-

"_Ah, Naruko. Ho– hey, you okay? You seem to be down in the dumps. Were you not able to buy what you wanted?"_

"_Hi, Ojii-san. I… I did."_

"_Then what's the matter? Did he not like it?"_

"_I didn't give to him." She bit her healed lip. "I… don't think I'll ever be able to give the scarf to him anymore."_

"_Why? What's wrong?"_

"…" _She was on the verge of tears, her head hung over the counter. Just being reminded of the moment was a nightmare to end all nightmares. This was a bad idea. The last thing she wanted was to cry like a baby in front of others. It was one of the reasons she didn't give those jerks the satisfaction of her groaning pain. That, and her conscious couldn't take the beating any longer. When she came to, the blonde met the fried fabric that was just a few hours ago a perfect gift for her BFF. It was ruined._

_It was dead as a birthday present._

"_I-It got b-b-burnt." She sniffed, not able to hold the hurtful truth inside any longer._

"_It got burnt? What do you mean? What happened?" He leaned in with concern._

"_It's nothing." She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "It's all in the p-past anyway. The only thing to know is I failed as a friend. I couldn't take care of it long enough. I'm such a loser."_

"_Don't say that, Naruko."_

"_But it's true." She whimpered. "I ruined Ken's birthday. I ruined his special day. I… I ruined _everything_."_

"…"

"…"

_She heard the leaving footsteps of her company, her heart sinking even deeper into dismay. She supposed his leave was to be expected. She was crying on his head, something he didn't need– nobody needed– especially during work hours. Still though, how was she going to face her friend? She already avoided him for work, and now she was delaying their time even further. The blonde didn't know what was next for her. How could she be the Hokage, be his friend even, if she couldn't even be a true one in the first place?_

_He should just forget about her. She would just bring him nothing but negativity the way she couldn't even overcome such a problem, no matter if it was three people at all. She truly deserved to be alone in this world. It was just common sense. It was just–_

_She felt something placed beside her. Her head turned, and her eyes bulged._

_It was a scarf!_

_It wasn't the purchased one. Definitely not. She left it behind after all. Besides, it had been burnt to a crisp, forgotten like the ashes descending into the earth. But this one… it was green. It's weaving different, it's fabric softer. Hers were alright, pre-abused though. This one might have been even better, not to mention unharmed. Clean as a whistle even. But how did it–_

"_Well," The man smiled, "are you not going to give the boy's gift to him?"_

"_Wha?" Her eyes went back and forth to the piece of cloth and the ramen chef. "But… this isn't mine."_

"_It is now."_

"_Huh?"_

"_It was my wife's once upon a time." His smile represented a sad nostalgia. "She wore it when I first met her. It was raining, you see, so she had to keep herself warm and cozy. It worked wonders, or at least it seemed to in my eyes." He looked back up from his external thinking, giving the blonde child an encouraging smile. "Now, it's yours, Naruko, well, until you give it to your boyfriend, that is."_

"_H-Huh?" She blushed complete red, the comment unapproved by her mind's reaction. "H-He's not my… boyfriend…" She went quiet, the memory of when they were first described as a couple soon acted in her head. He denied it of course, back at the Academy, which was a sting to her organs if nothing else. She didn't know why, she shouldn't feel this… disappointment toward it, but she just did, unfortunately. Still, she shrugged it off as just her body acting stupid again. It mostly did when her BFF was around. Strange._

"_Ha ha hah," The man laughed, "I was just pulling your leg, Naruko."_

_She sighed. Of course he would. "Thank you for the offer, but I can't take it. It's Obaa-san's treasure. I wouldn't feel right taking it."_

"_It's fine, Naruko. She would understand, it's for someone special, right? If she was still around, I'm certain she would even threaten you if you didn't accept it."_

"_Really?" She asked, genuinely surprised._

"_Yup. She may not have looked like it, but she could have been a Kunoichi if she wanted to, maybe even the top Kunoichi. It seemed the peaceful life was more appealing to her though."_

"…_Still…"_

"_Naruko." He stared at her a bit sternly. "This scarf wasn't always hers, you know."_

"_It… wasn't?"_

"_Of course not. It's a passing treasure. It was first her grandma's, then mother's, then hers. Now, it's yours."_

_The Academy student gave the green cloth of abundance next to her a glance, taking a long silent pause as her thoughts' frontier. "If… if you're really positive I should…"_

"_I am." He nodded._

_Her hand hesitated, but soon she reached out and felt the scarf. It was so soft. So smooth. It had a magnetism for people's touch. A strong sense of it. It was so… perfect._

_Just like him._

_It made her original gift pale in comparison. That just made taking it from the Ichiraku more wrong. She hadn't paid for it. She didn't deserve it. She couldn't take it. Yet, her friend's depression flashed through her eyes._

_She gripped onto the hand-me-down, holding it close to her chest. She sighed at it's magic feel. The child gave the man one more look of uncertainty._

_He smiled, nodding in encouragement. "Well, what are you waiting for? You have a friend to impress, don't you?"_

"_Thank you." She said softly, tears about to fall out. "Thank you so much."_

"_It's nothing, Naru–"_

_Oof!_

_Well, this was truly a surprise. The little girl leaped over the counter and had him in her grasp, tightening him as if for support._

"_You're the best."_

_He chuckled, hugging her back. "You're too much, Naruko."_

_She giggled, her worries gone with the past. She had so much negativity that hung on her shoulders just a moment ago. Worry, regret, pain, loath, so many more. Now, it was gone. Just like that. All because of this amazing man in her arms. He really was a hero._

_She whimpered with happiness._

_Things were finally looking up for her._

_She couldn't wait to give this to _Ken!

-Empty-

"I'm home!" Mimiru shouted cheerfully, closing the front door with a tap of her foot.

"Hello, honey." Her mother, Haruno Mebuki, greeted, poking her head out from the kitchen. "How was your day at the Academy?"

"Super!" She chirped, making her way to the woman. "Just like yesterday. But I got a lot of studying to do, so I'll be in my room for a while." She pecked the leaning blonde on her cheek.

"I suppose it is to be expected. Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Okey dokey."

"Oh, you also must be pretty hungry, so take a mushi-pan so long while I finish lunch, okay?"

"Arigatou!" Her eyes immediately locked onto the tray of delightful muffins, searching hungrily for the biggest. She snatched it, taking a large whiff of it's goodness.

Extremely Yummy!

She munched on one end, her watery mouth enveloping the piece and absorbing all of it's delicious excellency. Gosh, her mommy made the best mushi-pans ever! She skipped toward the stairs, the mixture of it's sweet favor giving her an extra bounce to her step. Still, it was nothing compared to what awaited for her tomorrow. Or she should refer whom instead of what.

Her heart fluttered just picturing his handsome red eyes. Sighing through her nose– her mouth was kind of occupied right now– Mimiru came across a certain pink-haired girl in the midst of the wooden ascending and descending platform.

Sakura gave her a look, but managed a small smile.

"Hey, Mimiru. Urm, can we talk for a…?"

The girl was soon on the second floor. She passed right beside her, not even battering an eye toward Sakura. It was as if the Genin was completely invisible or something, her voice landing on deaf ears.

She heard the door to her sister's room opened and closed, leaving nothing behind.

Sakura sighed. Damn it, she really fucked up, didn't she?

-Empty-

"…And h-he just fell, can you believe it?" Naruko giggled, her voice music to Ken's ears.

"Really? P-Poor guy." He chuckled. Man, he really missed a lot in the past few days staying at the Uchiha residence. His friend was telling him another one of her stories, stories she saw enact in front of her eyes, during her time alone. The time he wasn't around.

His heart ached again.

"I know, right? I wish I could've helped." Her smile faltered a bit. "But someone had beat me to it. Still, I don't know if he would have accepted it though."

He frowned immediately, knowing what she meant. The village was really against the two for some reason. Well, leaning more on him nowadays. Her skyrocketed skills and popularity at the Academy really made people turn their heads toward her more than before. It was great. He was really happy for her. He didn't know what he'd have done if they kept treating her poorly.

Naruko deserved everything beneficial in life.

She was just that special. So beautiful too.

"I doubt h-he wouldn't haven taken y-your hand." Ken said back. "Most are be-c-coming more nicer to y-you nowadays. Soon everyone w-will. I'm certain y-you'll even be l-loved across a-all five nations."

"You really think so?" She gave him a shy smile.

"Definitely. That's j-just one of m-many traits that c-comes with being the H-Hokage, after all." He smiled at her. "You _are_ g-going to be th-the Hokage, am I wr-wrong?"

"No, no you not." She shook her head, that familiar spark igniting in her eyes again. "I will become the Hokage, 'ttebayo! _Believe it!"_

"I do."

"…Hey."

"Hmm?"

"I was thinking…"

"Of what?"

"Well, I know you said your goal is to become a prominent ninja and all." She looked to the side. "But I was just wondering, if there's something else you'd like to be."

"Some-th-thing… else?"

"Yeah…" Her head turned to his direction, a sense of curious wonder in her cerulean ocean.

They were so incredible, her eyes. The best pair of eyes he'd ever seen.

He soon blinked out of his daze though. "I haven't th-thought that far yet." He looked forward. "I only w-wanted to walk beside my p-p-peers… to walk b-beside you and Sasuku-ch-chan. That's the o-only thing I want to a-accomplish so long. I guess I'll just s-see what life o-offers afterward if I a-a-actually do become a-a true ninja one day."

"But you are one."

Ken chuckled lightly, shaking his head. "No I'm n-not."

"Yes, you are, Ken-kun."

"Stop l-lying to yourself, Naruko."

"I'm not lying Ken, and my name isn't Naruko!"

He gave her an odd look. "What?"

"My name… it's not…" She had stopped moving, Ken halting as well. Her head hung, not knowing how to break it to him. Was it really _that _difficult? Was it even difficult at all? Was he even aware of how he was address her the past week and more?

He raised an eyebrow. What was up with her recently? Yesterday during their conversation, or rather argument he supposed, she mentioned about her name as well. Something about that it wasn't Naruko as well. He shrugged it off as Naruko just being herself. Now she had brought it up again. Was there something he was missing here? Was her name not what she had implied ever since they first met? Was there something she wasn't telling him? Strange. He was close friends with her, and yet, here he was, being told she wasn't who she actually was, and that he had not a single clue of it all up until now.

Surprisingly, she dodged it instead. "You _are _a real ninja, Ken." Her voice was gentle and low, matching the atmosphere she was giving off. "Don't you get it already? You _are_. You _are_, you _are_, you _are_, you _ARE!"_

"Naruko…" His eyes softened, hands in his jeans' holes the entire time. "S-Saying it over a-and over again doesn't m-make it any more truthful."

"I don't care!" She growled, her fists clenching dangerously below her. "Did I not slap you hard enough? Do you need a harder wake-up call?"

His eyes widened. "Naru-k-ko…"

"I told you before, did I not? That you are special in your own way."

…

"I don't care if you cannot mold your chakra, in fact, I know you'll someday. And if that day happens, you'll be even more special." She looked up, a soft, yet stern expression facing him. "Being a ninja doesn't mean you have to know as many jutsu like Kakashi-sensei. It doesn't mean you have to be skilled as an Uchiha. Heck, you don't even need to be better than your every day villager! Comparing yourself is nothing to be upset about. It doesn't define you for who you are, Ken-kun. Ninja is only a title, just like Kage is. We're all equal, we're all ninja, we're all _heroes._"

She placed her hand on the left side of her chest. "You don't have to be better than anyone, or as strong as anyone, to be a ninja. We all became one right after when we were born. The only thing you need to become a ninja, is to be defiant against all odds. To fight. To protect. To do whatever is necessary. Being a ninja…" She smiled, closing the gap between the two, "…being a ninja is to have the willpower to continue no matter what. And you, Kenny-kun, my best friend in the whole wide world, have everyone of those traits." She placed a soft, delicate palm against his chest, right below his green scarf. "Right inside here."

"Naruko…" He said for the umpteenth time, but his brain wasn't realizing it. His eyes left the contact she made against his body to stare into those majestic eyes of hers once more. Her speeches were so… uplifting. So inspirational. She had _so much _faith in him, it was beyond rationality. The only thing he could do was to accept and be grateful she even thought so highly of him.

And make her proud.

"You are s-s-so amazing."

She giggled magically at the sudden praise, his eyes were still in a cute daze. "Well, you know what they say: Behind every amazing woman," She raised her gentle caressing hand onto his cheek, the same cheek she sub-consciously hurt a day ago, "there's a very cool man backing her up."

He flushed in embarrassment. Ken coughed awkwardly in his fist, turning to hide his flushed face. "A-A-Anyway, let's get g-going, no?"

Naruko giggled even more. Kami, was he just the cutest when he blushes. "Sure. But, where are we going?"

"Well," He scratched his cheek, their feet doing their usual action. "I was th-thinking if you'd l-like to come with t-to Sasuku-chan's home?"

"What?" She looked at him, surprised by the declaration.

"I mean, if you'd l-like." He gave her a reassuring smile. "Besides, I th-think Mikoto-chan w-would like to meet you a-anyway."

"Mikoto-chan?"

"Yeah, S-Sasuku-chan's mom."

Naruko raised an eyebrow. "You call her 'Mikoto-chan'?"

"Uh, y-y-yeah." He nervously stuttered, rubbing the back of his head. "It's b-becoming a bad h-habit, unfortunately."

"I think it's cute."

"Huh?" He blinked.

She smiled softly. "I think it's cute, the way you address a higher up so informally. Makes you seem like a baby boy."

"Hey." He furrowed.

She laughed adorably, Ken's frown unable to keep itself locked onto his face for long.

"Still, she wants to meet… me?"

"Yeah. She w-was really curious e-ever since you f-first appeared there."

"You mean the day I left so abruptly?" Just then, the blonde remembered something important.

"Mmhmm." He nodded.

"I… guess. I mean, if it's really no trouble if I come with, then I'd be glad to." She smiled brightly, but her nervous heart spoke differently. After all, it was the Uchiha residence. One of the top clans of Konoha. It was also teme's home. The two were never on good terms for more than a short time, if not, never on good terms, period. But her BFF was inviting her. Something that rarely happened. This was her chance to finally hang out with him aside from their lunch a few moments ago. She wasn't going to let this one slide too, and if that meant putting up with a foreign environment along with Sasuku-teme, then so be it.

Still, things were threatening to become real awkward pretty soon.

Would they end up liking her?

Would they even accept her?

She shook her head though, not wanting to dawdle on it for long unless she sought to forget again.

"H-Hey, Ken-kun?"

"Huh?"

"Well," She scratched in her small pouch, retrieving something important. "Remember when I said I wanted to give you something? Before we left for our mission?"

"Yeah…?"

She smiled shyly, offering the object at arm's reach. "I almost forgot about it. Silly me."

Ken's eyes bulged at the offer, the understanding of such a piece of art not meeting his mind. "W-Wha… You, did y-you…?"

She nodded, his reaction worth a million Ryo to the girl. After all, she did her best in getting it ready for him.

For her _BFF_.

**-Empty-**

**Sorry for the long delay. I was busy with something important, which won't come out in a while unfortunately (since it's still in works).**

**Anyway, there you have it, Chapter Thirteen. I know it's not **_**that **_**interesting, and honestly, there were more scenes destined for it, but it would have overflowed the chapter with too many words. So I decided to separate it for the next one.**

**Hope you enjoyed the update, and thank you for your continued support so far.**

**Until next time.**

**-Narurific-**


	14. When Two Becomes One

**Chapter 14**

**When Two Becomes One**

**-Empty-**

"Kennii-sensei!"

That cute voice sent a pleasant shiver in the boy's heart, his red eyes making contact with the pitch blackness of his student.

"Hey there, S-Saku-chan." He gave her a small wave, her training transforming into a sprint toward his way.

It halted however, but her footsteps had still led her in front of him. It just didn't lead her in his arms, as she intended it to, since her eyes had darted on the presence next to him.

Naruko smiled friendly. "Hi there. My name is Uzumaki Naruko. You must be Sasuku's sister?" She noted pre-arrival that it would be respectful if she didn't use the word 'teme' around these parts, especially in front of a youngster such as the girl before her.

Sakuri stared at the blonde, a contemplative look on her face, then back at her sensei.

"Who's this, Kennii-sensei?"

Naruko's eye twitched. Did the little tyke just avoid introducing herself like she didn't exist only afterward?

"She's my t-teammate, and best friend, N-Naruko."

"Best friend?" She looked at the Genin up and down, evaluating her being.

"Yeah."

Naruko kept her smile pasted, the little girl taking a while to finish her inspection of her. "So you're the one who I was going to be taught by a few weeks ago?"

"Huh?"

"I was searching for a tutor." She crossed her arms. "I heard my sibling had been placed on the same team as the 'Rookie of the Year', so I thought they would be my best bet on efficient solidification of my skills." Then an ugly glare affected her gaze. "To think I would have ended up in the hands of someone like you."

"Excuse me?" Naruko furrowed. "What does that suppose to mean?" Sakuri didn't answer right away, instead squeezed her way in between the two and clutched tightly on her Kennii-sensei's arm.

"I'm glad I wasn't taught by a man stealer like you."

"Huh? Man stealer?" The blonde asked, both Genin confused.

"Statistics have shown that 'best friends' usually end up with romantic feelings for one another due to the highly accurate compatibility rate."

"R-Romantic feelings?" Ken stuttered with surprise, a lenient blush forming.

"You better not have the hearts for him, blondie."

"Blondie?" Naruko glared.

"Saku-chan…" Ken tried to intervene, but seemed to be at a lost of words.

"Listen here, kid," The twelve year old spoke sternly, "I really don't care if you're an Uchiha, or even Jiji-san's granddaughter, I will punch you, just like I did with Konohamaru."

"Konohama-who?"

"Ladies, p-please…"

"You think I'm arrogant enough to care about the name of my clan?" Sakuri shot back. "A name is just a name. But I advise you to not call me 'kid' again."

"Too bad. In my eyes, you're just another spoilt little kid."

Both women growled, getting up in each other's faces.

'_Geez,'_ Ken thought awkwardly, _'Women sure look scary when they get pissed off.'_ "Please, y-you guys, let's not d-do something we'll regret, o-okay?"

"hmph." Naruko huffed, her arms crossed in front of her. "I suppose you're right, Kenny-kun."

"Anything for you, Kennii-sensei." Sakuri tightened her grip, her warning stare still on the upset Genin.

The boy sighed in relief, the thick atmosphere still present in the air. _'Well, it could've been a worse start. Luckily no punches were thrown. Still, we haven't even gotten inside yet. Hopefully things will go more smoother from here on out.'_

-Empty-

Damn it.

She knew sleeping outside would be more occurring for the life of a ninja, especially if you're expected to go on long missions, but man, did Kibira miss her bed. You would think that a Inuzuka wouldn't mind using the ground as a mattress now and then, but if you did, then you were just stereotyping. Shame on you. Just because they were best friends with canines didn't mean they were expected to get comfy on dirt and the like. Oh well, she supposed one night wouldn't hurt though. I mean, everyone was sleeping soundly, so why shouldn't–

Wait, where was Ken?

She blinked, looking around for the green-haired boy. His being wasn't spotted. Who she did find however was Naruko, casually strolling away.

What in the… Where was she going? Kibira decisively went after her, suspicion rising in her stomach. For some reason, the Inuzuka member didn't call out to the blonde, and was instead spying on the blonde, sneaking forward as her fellow Genin made her way to who-knows-where. It might have had something to do with the strange situation back at the campsite.

Really now, why didn't Kakashi-sensei just accept the offer of cramming in the guest rooms back at the Watanabe residence? I mean, sure, it would be uncomfortable, but it certainly could've been better than the cold, night breeze tickling her freezing skin. Man, what she wouldn't give to be cozily snugged into a warm bed right about–

Oh, hold onto that thought. Ken finally was in view, his presence a considerable distance away from the others. Why was he all the way out here?

"Can't sleep?" Naruko's soft tone barely made it's way to the Kibira's ears, despite her good hearing.

"N-Naruko?" Ken's head quickly turned to the approaching female, his expression spoke of his surprise. "How did y-you find me?"

"I heard you left in this direction a while ago. Thought you wanted some fresh air or something." She sat down with him, a small clearing in front of the two. "When I noticed you didn't come back however, I decided to investigate."

"It's n-nothing." He looked forward again, their faces hidden from Kibira's vision. "I was j-just thinking about s-something."

"About what?"

"…Something…"

"Not gonna share?"

"It's s-stupid." He shook his head, the green batch of hair swaying from side to side.

"Try me."

There was a substantial pause before the boy finally spoke. "I was j-just thinking about my p-parents."

"Your parents?" Naruko questioned curiously.

"Yeah."

"Home sick?"

He chuckled, lowering his head in his lap. "Yeah."

"I don't think that's something stupid to think about." She smiled sadly. "I think… it's adorable."

"Sure…" He rolled his eyes, "thanks f-for uplifting m-my manly pride."

"You had one to begin with?"

He furrowed in her direction, before both laughed, knowing his glare was an attempt to extend the 'argument' further.

Kibira frowned, a painful tug in her chest despite finally hearing that amazing laugh of his years prior. The duo seemed… happy with each other. They spent so much time, if not, all the time together back at the Academy. She would've given up anything just to make eye contact with him aside from the stalking stares she had given him back then. Literally anything. Even disobeying her mother. But the lingering statement of the woman kept stopping her.

_If you even utter a word to him again, he'll forever hate you._

Such a ridiculous thing to even say. But that strand of factuality stayed around regardless. Besides, her mother wouldn't lie to her, right? There was no reason to. Still, knowing her daughter had befriended him already was very contradictory.

_Mothers knows what's best._

She sighed longingly, his hatred the last thing she wanted on her list. But keeping her distance still hurt like hell.

"How far are you anyway?" Naruko asked through Kibira's thoughts.

"With wh-what?"

"Your training with your father?"

"…" He averted from her for a reason Kibira wasn't aware of. "We're getting th-there at least."

"Good." The blonde smile warmly. "So long as my BFF is happy in the end, I'll be too."

Ken looked back in her cerulean eyes, attempting to unintentionally match her radiating smile.

Soon they left for the camp, Kibira retreating with water rapidly leaking from her orbs.

-Empty-

"Mikoto-chan, I'm b-back."

"Dead La– Idiot?" Sasuku stopped in her tracks, both of her teammates coming into view.

"So you must be Naruko-chan." Mikoto smiled, drying her 'kitchen-busy' hands with a cloth, Ken-kun, her youngest daughter, and said blonde entering the home, their shoes being taken off. "I heard a lot about you. My name is Mikoto, but there's no need for any honorifics, so you can just keep it at that."

"Konnichiwa." Naruko bowed respectfully, the woman's statement only then clicking. "Wait, you have?"

"Mmhmm." Mikoto nodded, giving Ken-kun a look. "Ken-kun wouldn't stop talking about how an amazing person you are."

A strong blush made it's way on the male. "N-N-N-No I hadn't."

"Well, I suppose that's partially true." She placed her hands on her hips, her pink apron in plain sight. "He seems more interested in gaining information than sharing. Honestly, I'm really not that special to be the center of your attention, Ken-kun."

"Y-Yes you are." Ken said, only to receive a different assortments of looks around him. "Th-Th-That Mikoto-chan's s-special, I mean."

"Gosh, deary," She surprisingly pouted, her usual beautiful maturity turning cute momentarily, "and here I thought I was actually the center of your attention. Oh well, I suppose beggars can't be choosers."

"Mom," Sasuku groaned, "stop it."

"I guess you're right, honey." She sighed. "There's just not enough room for me in Ken-kun's circle of women, I suppose."

"Mom!"

The older woman giggled melodically, "Okay, okay, I'll stop." She then turned to the stoic blonde. "But really, your reputation to the village really is incredible."

"Oh." Naruko simply replied, finally understanding where the woman's knowledge of her came from. Of course it had to come from the villagers outside. Who else could it have been?

"Don't worry, honey." She smiled reassuringly. "I'm positive the previous perceptive of you has died out. If not, I still wouldn't view you with the same."

"Really?" She asked, genuinely surprised.

"Of course." She eye-smiled. "Just because you did some pranks here and there doesn't mean you're an awful child."

Naruko didn't even know how to react to that. Her pranks never made people happy; it always did the opposite. Regardless, pranks in general was a bad thing anyway. So hearing someone other than her Kenny not poorly judging her because of that was a complete shock.

This woman… was really chill.

"So," Mikoto's voice broke the silence, "who's in the mood for some dinner?"

-Empty-

Another mission, another day. It appeared to be just that for a while now. Just the same D-Ranked routine over and over again. I mean, Naori didn't mind it; a mission is a mission, as she always said. Or was the saying 'Don't misplace the keys to the apartment'? She shrugged, it was probably both. Anywho, where was she? Oh yeah, missions. Urgh, damn missions. They were just beginning to grow on her, and not in a good way. They were mundane chores to be specific. No real experience as a ninja, just real experience for skills she probably wouldn't use in the near future.

I mean, what was gardening good for when she was intended to put her life on the line someday? Water a giant plant to eradicate her enemies? Hopefully not, because that would take too long, and it would just prove her nagging wrong.

That was one thing she didn't want to be: wrong. Or was it useless? She shrugged, it was probably both. Or maybe only the latter. She stopped for a second.

Eh, déjà vu, anyone?

Shrugging once more, she soon placed her groceries down. Monday was a bitch in general, especially when you're impatient to purchase your expenses. Tuesday was even worse! Probably Monday's cousin or somethin'. But here she was, paying for this white bag of these tiresome products on said day. Tuesday, that is. Don't blame her, Monday was daring her to shop. She wasn't going to fall for that.

She chuckled, feeling proud and triumphant over the day that starts the week. Or was that Sunday? She shrugged, it was probably both. Wait… The blunette shivered, overlooking the actual problem to her conclusion. Urgh, Sunday. The worst day of all the eight days of a week. That was it, right? Nine days in a week? Yeah, she was right.

Ten days a week it had to be.

Hah, gotcha!

She was only pulling your leg. She wasn't stupid after all, only a bit wacky on the inside, she admitted, only to bloom her craziness when she was alone.

That's right. The 'you' she was referring to was herself. Or the little voice in her head, she supposed. Were you thinking it was someone else?

_Just open the damn door already._

"Okay, okay, sheesh calm down, party pooper." She waved to no one in particular, though unbeknownst to her, her nosy neighbor on the same floor was peeping at her from a distance again, the old lady fearfully apprehensive of the girl's actions.

'_And I thought I was senile.' _The lady thought cautiously.

Okay, scratch 'unbeknownst' off the surface; Naori suddenly twisted her head to the side, an awkwardly wide smile meeting the old woman's eyes. "Hi diddly ho, neigborino!"

Squealing in fright, the woman retreated, locking her door behind herself.

_She should mind her own business._

"You can think that again." Naori said, crouching down and searching under her welcome mat.

_She should mind her own business._

"Heh heh." Naori giggled cutely, pulling out her key from below. "See? You're finally seeing the joy in life."

_Hardly._

"Whatever, Ms. Frowny face." She placed the key in the keyhole. "I only wanted that nosy neighbor of ours to beat it so she wouldn't know where the hiding spot of our key is."

_Yeah, cause no one would look under the welcome mat. It's too advanced._

"Whatever, Ms. Frowny face."

_You already said that._

"And you already demonstrated your negativity."

_Touché._

"Thank you." Naori gave a little bow, though it lurked unknowingly amongst her crouch for her bag as the door was pushed open. "Ah." She flopped on the couch, the bag on one side.

…

Silence.

Complete and utter silence.

The clock on the wall wasn't making a noise as always…

…it ran out of batteries.

What? Was she expected to buy a pair? Nah, she wasn't interested. I mean, she would; Naori might not look it, but she was a very schedule-like person, always trying to be on time, even if she was a bit, bit, _'bit' _early on everything she did. Heh, she loved irony, too bad they left for a trip to Lightning Country. Raikage probably suffocated them with his tanned armpit right about now.

Anyway, back to the 'clockitty clock clock'. It was just that her pay on a daily basis was not very good, not even able to get everything what she needed when making a trip to the 'market of supers'. That was why the bag near her always cried– it missed it's twin 'vewy' much. But she supposed sacrifices were to be made, like batteries, for example. Besides, the sun's position was her best friend nowadays, i.e. it helped her tell the time.

_You really have a mood swing, don't you? Speaking about sacrificing when you were only a few weeks ago threatening the 'Keyhole'._

"Hey," Naori furrowed, "you heard what she said the other day. Speaking as if she and my prince were a couple. And you of all people should know how I feel about that."

_Of course I do. The feeling's mutual, is it not?_

"That goes the same for you." She threatened heavily.

_Hah, as if you can even touch me. I'm your conscience, am I not?_

"No you not. You're just a curse given to us Shudame during birth. Nothing more, nothing less. As soon as my prince finishes his destiny, you will be nothing but a thing of the past. Until then, you and I are unfortunate partners with the same convenient goals and… preferences."

_Won't you be a thing of the past as well?_

Naori tilted her head toward the ceiling. The bland, cracked ceiling. It's representation was appropriate for her heart. Cracked, and bland by the very thought her inner voice had spoken of.

"Yeah," She mumbled, "but that's fine." She placed a hand on her chest, her aching chest. "So long as he attains his rightful place on his throne, I will be in content."

_Same here. Might be because we're one in the same?_

She sighed, deciding to clear her mind by repacking the groceries. "Sure. Whatever you say."

-Empty-

"Hey there."

Sasuku turned her head. Naruko smiled at the Uchiha. It might have been forced, but that wasn't any of the black-eyed girl's concern. She looked forward again, sensing the blonde taking a seat next to her.

"Why are you here?"

"Ken invited me."

She sighed. "I thought as much. Sometimes his caring heart is more troublesome than affectionate for me."

"What?" Naruko blinked.

"N-Nothing." Thank goodness her flushed face was buried a bit in her arms that rested on her knees, so she didn't need to avert as if she was hiding something.

…

Naruko looked in front of her, her Kenny and the brat meeting her view. "Your mother's very kind."

"Yeah…"

"She works two jobs at once, right?"

"Yup." Sasuku said nonchalantly. Dinner time was, in other words, her mother's third 'interview' for another occupation. That occupation being an open book for her guests. One thing Sasuku didn't like personally. With an attitude like her parent's, anything could slip out that might change the tides of any wave. The thought was nerve-wracking if nothing else.

"It's barely dusk and yet she's at home."

"Busy, much?" She shot the blonde a glare.

"S-Sorry. Just curious."

"…" She turned back to the pair before them. "I don't ask questions about her work. What she does shouldn't be our concern, or at least that was what my mother said. Probably something happened at work, meaning more free time for the employees. But I'm no politician. I'm just a ninja with one goal in mind."

"To take down a specific person?"

"…Yes." The thought was anything but sunshine and rainbows. The memory fell in the same category.

Damn it, Itachi!

"Care to share who this person is?"

"No." She simply said.

"…Okay…" Her attention went back to the two in the field. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"No."

"Ken's your sister's sensei. Am I right on that?"

"Unfortunately."

"Unfortunately?"

'_Cause then he would be spending more time with me, you idiot!'_ Sasuku's eyes bulged, before shaking her head rapidly. "Forget I said that."

"…Okay, well, I was just thinking, why aren't you teaching her? You are her sister, aren't you?"

"I'm too busy to teach her."

"Too busy watching them?"

"Don't piss me off, idiot." She warned, still staring forward, but her face grimaced nonetheless. "What that means is that I'm more focused on gaining strength than to give it out."

"Then why not train now?"

"Stop asking me questions already." Her face was a bit hot with embarrassment right now. The 'idiot' had a point though, she wasn't going to get stronger by just sitting around, but ever since Dead Last helped her perfect her Gokakyu, she had less confidence in herself training alone than being assisted by him. And, well, she couldn't fully concentrate on anything anymore ever since then, let alone find the motivation in them. Her mind just mindlessly drifts to Dead Last's face. She couldn't still be tired, right? Damn body! Only remedy she found out so far was said Genin being beside her. Sure, it made her act weird, internally and externally, but at least she became more focused and more motivated than before, and, well… excited, and… happy, she supposed.

Like he was the thing she needed all this time ever since her sister left her family behind. Someone that brought a smile on her face each time she saw theirs. At least, inside. Maybe even more. It certainly felt stronger.

So her slacking around was only because that damn numbskull wasn't spending more time with her personally. She wanted that… more than anything. Just to be alone with him like the time he lent a hand. Besides, he seemed more knowledgeable than her, so Dead Last coaching her was a definite must. But he probably didn't know that. She had to inform him after his session with her younger sister was over. Then they would finally be together, alone.

Maybe even… hold hands?

Her face reddened dramatically, but instead of denying such ridiculous ideas, she instead smiled fondly at the thought, her heart skipped several beats as if it were playing an organic version of hopscotch.

Yeah, holding hands could be fun.

Unfortunately, Naruko broke her trail of thought, causing her to grumble incoherent curses below her breath.

"I'm just saying, if you were to train her instead, then Ken-kun would have more time on his hands to spend time with his father."

"His father?"

"Yeah. The man's helping Ken mold his chakra, or at least, that's what Ken told me."

"Mold his chakra?" She glanced back at the boy in the distance. She… haven't thought of that before. Attempting to mold his– "Wait a second, that can't be right."

"What can't be right?"

"You can't learn how to mold chakra at this point."

"What?" Naruko raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"What I mean is, you either born with moldable chakra, or you're not. Dead Last hasn't been able to even jump ten feet in the air."

"Your point?"

"My point is that he was obviously born without moldable chakra."

"That… that can't be true."

"I'm almost certain, idiot."

"So you're not one hundred percent sure then."

"My certainty is irrelevant. I can't believe you haven't figured it out before. It's basic logic."

"You're lying." Naruko furrowed.

"I'm not." She shook her head. "We've all known this, but you somehow hadn't. Why do you think he was told time and time again to leave the Academy? Aside from the apparent hate he got, some people cared for him at least as a student of theirs. But even they told him to leave. Because he wasn't fit to be a ninja in the first place. He would just get himself killed if he miraculously succeeded in passing."

"And yet, here we are." Naruko crossed her arms.

"That's not the point, idiot. Listen carefully, cause I'm only going to tell you this one more time. Society is divided into two groups. Ninja, and non-ninja. Ninja are people who were fortunate enough to be born with above normal expectations, the other division isn't. Ninja can reform chakra as they see possible, the others cannot. Ninja are able to use supernatural abilities that are beyond the reaches of non-ninja. I'm not saying people can't be what hey want to be, a good example is Dead Last. But as Kakashi-sensei said before, and as much as it pains me to side with it, he's just not cut out to be a real ninja. Even with immense training sessions as he seem to put himself through, he's still unable to even walk on walls. Because he's not born to. Because he, just like the rest of the villagers, was born a non-ninja."

"…"

"…"

"…You know," Naruko muttered, her head hanging, "I came here not because I wanted to, but because Ken asked me to. He didn't beg, he asked. Along the way, he asked me to strengthen our 'bond' also. Again, he didn't beg, like he was desperate as all hell, he asked me. He _asked_. Do you know what that means?"

"…I–"

"Let me give you another situation then, one you can be familiar with. When he politely asked us to stop arguing after Kakashi-sensei's second test, we all listened. We all behaved. We all did what he asked us to. Do you understand now?"

"No, I–"

"How about the time at the Academy when you were being spoken about behind your back? You know what he did? Do you? He asked them to stop their bickering. And you know what? They complied. Whether it was because they understood what you might have done to them, or because they were not brave enough to start a fight with him and get suspended in the end is irrelevant. The important thing is that he stood up for you. You! Someone he wasn't friends with back then, who he didn't even know fundamentally, who still, to this day, calls him 'Dead Last'."

Sasuku opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it in realization.

"Do you finally understand what all of those moments mean? They show how extraordinary he was– he _is_. So what if he cannot mold chakra? Does that make him any less extraordinary than he already is? Does it make him any less of a ninja– a hero? No, it doesn't. As a matter of fact, he's just that influential even though he's not able to mold chakra. If that isn't what being a true ninja is all about, then I don't know what is. Sure, battling might be tough for him, but just look how far he has come." She looked up, pointing at the boy. "He's a Genin. A _Genin!_ Something only ninja can be. The guy's gotten this far without any typical perks that comes with being 'born with moldable chakra'. If he can get this far, why can't he go any further? Because of the dangerous implications outside? Who the hell cares! He'll conquer that, I know he will. And do you want to know why?"

"…Why?" She somehow found herself asking.

"Because he's Tayamaru _fucking_ Kenjo, that's why." She smiled confidently. "And anyone with that birth name has the ability to shock the doubters no matter what, especially you."

"…I…" She bit her lip, looking away in dismay, her gaze ending up on the Genin a ways from them despite averting. "…I don't doubt him."

"Then what's your excuse for being so 'undoubtful'?"

"I just… I don't want to see Ken-kun get hurt, okay?" She spoke softly.

Naruko's eyes widened in surprise. Did she… did she just say her BFF's name? And with an honorific no less?

"He's my teammate. He… he means too much to me. And if…" She bit her trembling lip, the grass delightfully absorbing the waterfall splashing on them, "and if berating and mistreating him despite the pain it might cause myself to do such things means he will quit putting himself on the line, then so be it!"

"…Sasuku…" Naruko uncrossed her arms, observing her trembling form.

"Do you think I enjoy calling him that name? It's the only thing I can think of that might save him from this profession. I don't care if he hates me in the end, so long as he's safe, so long as he's out of harm's way, my ugly soul can rest peacefully."

Suddenly, she was embraced. By the idiot. By Naruko. She had made her way in front to hug her soon-to-be-collapsing form, Sasuku's eyes too wide to even know what was happening. Where she was? What was going on? Was this really happening? The idiot hugging her?

She shivered.

Was it out of pity?

Her lip trembled.

Was it out of empathy?

Her hands raised sub-consciously.

Was it because of who the idiot really was?

Her hands quivered apprehensively.

The part under the idiot's– Naruko's– annoying competitiveness?

Her glistening eyelids hugging each other.

A caring and loving person?

Her arms landed on the blonde's back.

"It's okay," Naruko whispered, "I understand… I understand perfectly."

She tightened around Naruko.

She tightened around Sasuku as well.

They embraced each other warmly.

'_Damn it, Itachi.'_ She cried internally, _'You really fucked me up big time, didn't you? Why only now am I feeling guilty treating my teammates, treating everyone, so poorly only now? No. No. No excuses. I'll… I'll do my best to reimburse. I'll try my upmost to redeem for my past mistakes. For mother. For Sakuri. For Kakashi-sensei. For Naruko.' _She tightened even further, not wanting to let go. _'And especially for you, Ken-kun.'_

Unbeknownst to the two, a quiet Mikoto watched them from behind, her head poking soundly from the front door, her smile spoke capacity of her joy for the scene in front of her. She knew by her daughter's attitude toward Naruko-chan, and by previous reports, that Team Seven wasn't the tightest team out there, especially when it came between the 'Rookie of the Year' and the 'Top of the Class'. To see them reconcile with each other was heart warming beyond belief.

Children grew up so fast.

"I did it!"

A voice broke the tension between the two, their hug discontinuing, both heads turning to the source. Sakuri was jumping up and down, celebrating her recent achievement.

Her spirit was contagious to their lips, all three females giggling from the excitement before them. Then, looking solemnly at Naruko, Sasuku made to speak. "N-Naruko… I just… I want to say, that I'm–"

"It's okay," She smiled back genuinely, "I was kinda of a bitch to you too, so we're even I guess. At least I'm not _that_ big of an idiot to not realize my own mistakes."

"Yeah– no."

"Hey." She furrowed with a smile, lightly punching the Uchiha's arm.

Sasuku suddenly glared back, earning a wary look from Naruko, but then both started laughing.

"That w-was incredible, Saku-chan." Ken's voice was heard as the girl suddenly jumped in his arms, feet wrapping around his waist like a birthday gift.

"I finally did it! I did a ninjutsu! It's all because of you, Kennii-sensei! Thank you so much!"

"D-Don't thank me," He held her close around her back, her arms uncomfortably, yet pleasantly hugging his neck, "it w-wasn't me who did i-it. It was a-all because of y-your hard work, S-Saku-chan."

"Nonsense." She broke her arms' grip to stare at him better– though it still held on– her wide smile threatening to cross the boundaries of feasibility in length. "Your contribution was mandatory in order for me to even get this far. I can't thank you enough, Kennii-sensei."

"You're w-welcome, Saku-chan." He glowed a bit in embarrassment, causing the girl to giggle.

Before she knew it however, her own flushing face came close to his, her lips surprising him by smacking against his pale, yet cozy cheek.

It's pressure in the lines of gentle yet rough, with it's impact way past the point of lightness. When she finally pulled back due to agnization, both pairs of wide eyes saw the deep redness from the other, especially Sakuri's, which could even be felt from her home.

"S-S-Sorry, I-I didn't mean…"

"It's okay." Ken chuckled nervously. "I w-would be lying if I said I-I didn't like th-the affection."

That just made her turn even redder, steam suddenly whistling out of her beet red ears. She hugged him closely with force, leaning the Genin back a bit. "Silly doofus." She mumbled into his shoulder. "You know just how to embarrass me, huh?"

"S-Sorry…" He hugged her back apologetically.

"It's fine." She smiled contently, her blush still as present as ever. "Just… well, I-I, urm…"

She squirmed a bit in his grip, her drumming heart only one of many signs of her nervous reaction.

"What's wr-wrong?" He gulped, the redness of himself mild right now, his heart still trying to catch up with what just happened. He was kissed, by Saku-chan. How bizarre. He never thought in his wildest dreams that this hated boy he played as would get kissed. Sure, she was eight years of age, but Saku-chan was still a girl. But regardless of the age and gender, the kiss was affectionate, and that was all that was needed to bring a hopeful smile on his face. He knew she cared about him, but how she just projected her care, to go through such lengths by kissing his hated flesh, it made him feel wanted, not only by Naruko and the others, but by Saku-chan as well, if her actions beforehand weren't evident enough.

It was truly touching and memorable. Something he would hold onto for the rest of his life. Another reason to not reuse the rope that was safely tucked away in his drawer.

"…I just… I mean, if you really didn't dislike it, then well… I-I could, well, k-k-k-ki–" She bit her lip. Gosh, what was she doing? She was going to die out of embarrassment. But she couldn't help herself. He was driving her wild. Driving her on the fast lane. Man, was it heart fluttering. And her stuttering. Was this how he felt when he couldn't get the words out clearly? Poor Kennii-sensei, and for Kami knows how long. She should try to look up with a remedy for his impediment soon. "…I could… k-kiss you again. I mean," She nervously spoke up, "not now, n-not even soon. I mean. wh-what I meant was I, well… n-never mind." She gulped anxiously, sliding off and stepping back. Where was the ground's mouth when she needed it? What was she even thinking? Stupid brain! Stupid, stupid, stupid, STUPID! Now he really was going to hate her for being a weirdo beyond all doubt. "F-Forget what I said. I'm just b-being an idiot again. H-Heh heh…"

Ken frowned, leaning forward to be on eye level. "Hey," His curved pointer finger gently lifted her head from her round, cute chin, "Don't f-feel embarrassed about a-asking me such a th-thing. Frankly, I-I would be r-really honored to even b-be considered as s-someone to kiss. So i-if you feel like it, go r-right ahead, okay?" He leaned more and tenderly pecked her burning cheek, giving the pair of flesh more fuel. "'K?"

Sakuri's mouth gaped open a bit, unable to comprehend anything anymore. Her core was running crazy like a steam train. She was pretty sure she was going to pass out the way her body was a mile away from her. And pass out she did.

Ken caught her though, a sudden panic written on his face. "S-Saku-chan!? Saku-chan!? A-Are you okay!? Answer me!"

Through it all however, the little girl smiled peacefully, her mind in a whirl of unconscious bliss.

-Empty-

"I see you children are enjoying yourselves?" Mikoto asked innocently, hoping she hadn't been found peeking on them. It wasn't criminal, but certainly rude.

Thank goodness she did decide to eavesdrop though; Naruko-chan and her daughter's moment was so heart warming. Don't get her started with Sakuri either. The girl fainting like that was just to die for. _'Gosh,'_ She thought, 'I didn't know her little crush on her 'Kennii-sensei' was so intense. It's just so adorable. What a cute couple they would make. But I doubt my older daughter will just give up if that even were to happen. Naruko-chan probably has a thing for Ken-kun too. What a polyamorous conflict. Hopefully Ken-kun would choose all of them. What a lucky boy. And such a charmer in his own way too.' She mentally bit her lower lip. 'Too bad I'm not around his age. I guess I'll just have to make do his cute politeness for myself personally.' Sighing with a hint of disappointment, the Uchiha woman shook back to reality.

She really missed being loved. Sure, she had family love, but ever since her Fugaku-kun 'passed on', aside from the heart shattering reality of it all, Mikoto really longed for a man to sweep her off from her feet again. She remembered being single before meeting her husband. It was really lonely. Like a piece of her soul was missing, needing to be found by her soul mate. When she met Fugaku though, she thought she finally found eternal happiness. But unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be.

Now single once more, and a parent no less, Mikoto was missing herself again. She knew Fugaku was a wonderful man by his own right, and just thinking about betraying his rested soul with another disgusted her to no end, but she couldn't help herself.

She was human too. She needed affection as much as the person next to her. Without it, mundane adventures only became more blander and more desaturated. It was dreadful, even with her daughters around her. She needed color back in her world again, _desperately_.

Besides, her daughters needed a fatherly figure sooner than later, otherwise they'll never feel the joy of having a loving dad again, especially for young Sakuri.

But surviving came first regardless, so her quest for love would have to wait.

"I suppose you can say that." Sasuku entered the building along with the others.

"Well, it's getting a bit late," Naruko glanced at the orange hue of a sky. Pure dazzling beauty. "I better get home before it gets dark. Thank you again Mikoto-sama, for the hospitality, for everything." She bowed respectfully, her gold pigtails touching the floor.

"It was my pleasure, my dear." She flashed a kind smile. "But about your departure."

"Hmm?" She stood up straight, arching an eyebrow.

"I was wondering if you'd like to sleep over for the night."

"Sleep… over?"

"Mmhmm." She nodded. "In fact, if you would like, you could stay here instead."

"Stay… here?" She questioned again, her shock clearly visible.

"Just agree, idiot." Sasuku teased. "Besides, Dead La– I-I mean," She stole a glance over Ken's direction, but the boy obviously caught it due the attention mainly on her. "K-Ken-kun… is already staying over, so you might as well also."

"I…" Naruko blinked, not sure what to decide, while Ken gave Sasuku a momentary stare, his surprise perceptibly radiating from his expression, not expecting the Uchiha to actually address him by his real name, and with an honorific no less.

'_Well, that is a wonder.'_

"I mean," Naruko fidgeted awkwardly, "I don't want be of a nuisance…"

"Nonsense." The woman waved her off with a smile. "We would be grateful if you accept the offer. Also, there's enough room as it is; you can sleep in the room down the hall to the left."

Sasuku immediately realized what room was being mentioned.

"I…" She bit her lip, eyes shadowed dramatically. "I don't… I don't know what to say…"

"How about a thank you?" Sakuri raised an eyebrow.

"You're right." Naruko looked back at Mikoto cheerfully, wiping some leaked tears. "Arigatou gozaimasu!"

"You're welcome, Naruko-chan." Mikoto eye-smiled.

"Still," Ken said through the softening tension, "we b-better tell your parents about your s-sleepover." This made Mikoto raise a suspicious eyebrow.

"N-No," Naruko sounded a bit panicked, but she quickly regained control with a shake of her head, "I mean, they wouldn't mind."

"Really?"

"Yeah," She nodded reassuringly, "I told them if I miss my curfew, then that would mean I was planning to sleep over at my friend's."

"Wait," He cocked an eyebrow, "you mean t-to say you expected this to h-happen?"

"Well, not exactly." She fidgeted nervously, "I was… referring to you."

"Oh." Ken put two and two together, but was still unsure. "Are you certain it's a-a good idea? I mean, it wouldn't hurt j-just to give them the message."

"I'm sure, Kenny."

"Well, alright then."

Naruko almost sighed in public, thankful he hadn't asked about what she was even going to wear to bed. She usually just slept with her jacket off, since her closet was rather… vacant.

"Then I guess y-you have to borrow some clothes f-from Sasuku-chan." Ken chuckled, causing Naruko to stiffen nervously.

Sasuku grunted incoherently. "Well, if I have to."

"Thanks, Sasuku." Naruko smiled politely.

The elder woman smiled fondly. "Gosh, your politeness really resembles that of Ken-kun's. Two peas in a pot, in other words."

"That's Naruko f-for you," Ken shook his head with a sigh, "always f-following in th-the footsteps of coolness."

"Heh," She sent him a smirk, "this is the first time you've _'actually'_ been humble. But that's Ken-kun for you," She shook her head, her locks moving from side-to-side, "always following in the footsteps of amazement."

They couldn't help it, every one of them just burst out laughing.

For a while, problems were no where to be seen. If only it would have lasted more longer.

-Empty-

Knock. Knock.

Ken blinked, turned around to the door. A silhouette stood behind the shoji door. "Co–" He froze, and looked down. He was in a towel and nothing more.

Oh shit.

Whoosh.

Sasuku locked eyes with a frozen green Genin.

Well, at least things couldn't get any worse than this.

Flop.

A dampened towel laid idly around a stark naked male's legs.

Well, at least things couldn't get more– n-nope, not going to finish that thought!

"S-Sa-Sa-Sasuku-ch-chan!" He panicked like a child being caught stealing from the cookie jar, trying desperately to cover himself with his hands while he made to pick the damn cloth up from resting.

Sasuku's face couldn't have been more redder, eyes fixated on the nakedness of her teammate's now covered… thing.

"Wh-Why did y-you open th-the door!?" He nearly shouted, finally protected from below.

Wasn't this the guest room, where he was obviously staying in? What was the big deal!?

She blinked, then gulped loudly, trying awkwardly to avert somewhere else. His presence was like a flippin' magnet or something! "Y-You were about to allow me access, so I let m-myself in."

"_About_. Not f-fully!" He furrowed embarrassingly, his face almost as colorful as Sasuku-chan's. To be honest, it was the brightest he had ever been, especially considering his pale complexion.

"Hey!" She closed the door behind, realizing the predicament they were in. If someone were to see them like this, all hell would break loose. "You saw me naked too!"

"I s-said I was s-sorry, didn't I? I wasn't a-aware someone was inside a-already."

"Well, nice excuse. You should achieve an award for it. Don't you know, catching a girl so vulnerable like that ruins any and all connections to the voyeur?"

"I…" He blinked, surprised. "I d-didn't know you felt so…"

Her eyes bulged a bit too. "I-I mean," She crossed her arms, huffing to the side, "it didn't have that much of a negative impact. I was still really upset that you had caught me in such a state though."

"I'm… sorry…" He looked down, his own half-nakedness secondary to his mind right now. "I'm r-really sorry… I didn't m-mean…"

"It's fine." She gave him a glance, noting his guilty expression. She felt really awful causing such an emotion on him. "I mean, I know you didn't mean it, and I guess looking at it, if I were to be found like that by someone, you wouldn't be the last person I would want it to be…"

Ken stared back at her… Wha…?

"I-I mean," She looked away again, her blush returning knowing what it might have meant, and because he was still half naked. Just knowing what hid behind that single piece of cloth made her heart race and face burn with embarrassment. It would forever be ironed into her mind. Pictures in sex-ed books paled in comparison to the real thing though. It seemed much… bigger and… thicker than how she imagined it would be, or how the illustrations portrayed it. She shook her head a few times to try and concentrate. "you would _definitely_ not be the first person I would want to see me so susceptible like that. Perv. That spot's reserved for the special someone who will obviously never be you." She bit her lip again, her heart sinking. Her pride really made her do discourteous and unappreciative actions. _'Was I not just a moment ago revealing how much I cared about him? And yet here I am, acting like a bitch. Sure, the message wasn't impolite, only a rejection, I suppose. But the tone I used… damn it, get it together already, Sasuku!'_

"Oh…" He looked to his side, then gave her an expectant look. "I s-suppose you have some-th-thing to tell me, but c-can it wait a little?"

"Why?" She looked back, only to blush furiously again. "Y-Yeah… sure. Urm… s-sorry for barging in."

'Sorry'. She almost never apologized for anything, always shrugging her mistakes off to the side. Though with Ken-kun recently, Sasuku felt inclined to do it regardless of her opinion. It was the right thing to do anyway, right?

"It's fine." He smiled. "I d-deserved it for being a peeping t-tom."

"So… you were peeping on me?" Strange, the thought didn't upset her, just as him being the actual 'special someone'. Damn it, what was going on with her nowadays!?

"N-No I wasn't! I m-mean, it w-wasn't intentional o-or anything, it was…"

Sasuku giggled, surprising her companion. Last time he heard her laugh, well, while they were alone at least, was when they sat on the porch, eyeing the dedicated Lightning user he taught, since this evening her laughter had been camouflaged by the others'. Sure, it was only a mere chuckle, but it was music to his ears nonetheless. So to hear her laugh again was, again, a soothing music box being played on a rainy day.

Really enlightening.

"Naruko's right, you really do look cute when you stumble with embarrassment."

"C-Cute?" He flushed a bit more, growing the girl's eyes.

"Wh-What are you talking about!? I didn't say none of the sorts!" She hurried to the door. "Just get dressed, Ken-baka!"

Whoosh, and she was gone.

Ken blinked, completely confused. Was it really him hearing things?

'_Shit. Don't tell me not only am I suppose to put up with my impediment and disabilities, but_ _also an early senile stage!?'_

Kami, he hoped that wasn't the case.

-Empty-

"What was all the racket just now?" Naruko came across a flushed Sasuku, her face attempting to avert away.

"I-It was nothing."

"People say that, and yet it almost definitely mean something else."

"It was nothing, okay? I just… wasn't aware how loud I was…"

"Right…" Naruko dragged, squinting her eyes in suspicion. "Was it because you waltz in while Kenny-kun was dressing?"

"Wh-Wha?!" Sasuku nearly tripped, catching herself just in time. "Wh-What makes you say that?"

"He left the bathroom a moment ago," She pointed behind her, "and you are coming from down the hall, which is, if I'm not mistaken, his temporary bedroom."

"You…" The Uchiha trailed off awkwardly. Was it that obvious, or was Naruko that mindful? Maybe both? Damn it! She really had no other words to astray the blonde anymore. "I-It's not what it seems." She waved, flustered. "I didn't mean to barge in. He spoke and I thought the coast was clear."

"I doubt it." She crossed her arms. "Kenny is anything but a pervert. I should know this." Then, a devious smirk crossed her face. "Wait, were you timing the situation?"

"What?"

"Did you wanted to catch him with his pants down, _literally_?"

"N-No!" She fumed. "Of course not!"

"It's fine if you wanted that." Naruko waved her off. "I know puberty is around the corner, and you might have already entered the 'danger zone', so curiosity can grasp anyone in that state, no matter their morals."

"I wasn't trying to, idiot!" She stomped rather adorably. When they met, Naruko didn't like the uptight, arrogant asshole that was Uchiha Sasuku. But for her to actually burst with embarrassed emotion? Man, the once silent emo really came a long way.

"Sure you weren't." The blonde patted her on the shoulder. "I mean, it's not like you actually have feelings for him."

Sasuku made to speak, but didn't utter anything, rather, she closed her PIE hole with uncertainty of her next rebuttal. She haven't thought it that way before. Feelings? For Ken-kun? The thought seemed ridiculous at first. I mean, she was an Uchiha. Not only were her goals, or goal, already aligned and destined to be initiated, and that she really didn't have the time to play 'intimacy' with anyone, but an Uchiha in general was expected to traditionally tie the knot with a person who had the same standards as they had.

Last time she checked, Ken-kun didn't have a single ninjutsu under his name, no moldable chakra, no speed to physically keep up with her, and was as a whole, just not cut out to be a ninja, as far as statistics went.

But even still, her emotions told her differently. Yeah, she had said he wasn't cut out to be one just an hour ago, but if she was really honest with herself, then she would absolutely 'bitch-slap' her own self for even considering such an absurd proposal. Ken-kun was a hero, a ninja, in his own way, and no number of rejections could change that.

She was really proud of him. Of how far he was going. It made her happy, to know someone who was shunned by society just because he was a 'weakling', was becoming a prominent ninja. He was going to achieve his goal, she just knew it.

Regardless of the above, Ken-kun being this figure Naruko just described as Sasuku's 'attraction' didn't bring up nausea, nor did it bring up any rejected riposte. In fact, it actually sent a weird warm feeling down her stomach.

WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON WITH HER!?

Naruko raised an eyebrow. "Right?"

"I…" She shook her head. "Of course I don't. Don't be ridiculous. I don't have anything like that for someone like him."

"But you care about him? Don't you?"

"I…" She bit her lip, "of course I do. I… I care a lot."

"Then it's possible you're in love." Naruko smiled, again sending a flabbergast up the Uchiha's spine.

"I don't." She said, less sure of herself. Was that really why she cared? Because she cared… deeply enough to have such feelings?

"You're probably right." The blonde shrugged, turning for her leave. She stopped after a few steps. "Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm okay with what you might feel, it's just I care for my BFF as well."

Sasuku stared at the back of Naruko's head, a bit confused.

"I care enough to put his own wants and needs in front of my own. And I'm not saying that to seem as if I'm this cool, selfless person. No… I just want him to be happy. He deserves it. So if you two do feel something for each other," She turned her head, smirking confidently at the Uchiha, "just know that I have your backs, okay?"

"…Sure…"

Then, Naruko was gone, humming faintly to herself.

Sasuku just stood there, not sure what happened.

-Empty-

"Where were you?" Naruko's voice had a strong sense of strictness in it, which couldn't be good news all around, especially when it was being addressed to him. Ken gulped, having an idea on what the question was referring to. Both females– Naruko and Sasuku-chan– were staring at him, both were upset, and both were waiting impatiently for a reply.

"Didn't my l-letter explain my nightly wh-whereabouts?" He was almost certain the note he left behind elaborated enough for them to not panic because of him.

"No, it didn't." Sasuku crossed her arms.

"It only said you would be gone for the night." Naruko summarized the message.

"I was j-just taking a s-stroll." Ken raised his hands in defense.

Lie.

"Kenny," His BFF looked disappointed, "that lie wasn't even funny."

"B-But I'm not l-lying."

Lie.

"Stop lying." Sasuku took a step forward, the warm, yet breezing morning hitting the three on their Team's bridge. "Just speak the truth already. Don't you trust us?"

"I do, I…" Ken sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "It's c-complicated."

"Why?" Naruko asked.

"I… I c-can't explain. Just kn-know I didn't d-do anything stupid l-last night."

"We know you won't." The Uchiha uncrossed her arms, pocketing one of her hands. "Just… try to be more open to us and use the front door next time, okay? My sibling was really worried."

"She was?"

"Yeah." Naruko nodded. "I told her it was your handwriting, but she wouldn't believe me."

"Oh…" He glanced down with guilt, but soon looked back up with a reassuring smile. "Okay, I'll b-be less suspicious n-next time."

"Good." Both returned the smile, a peaceful silence absorbing the atmosphere for the rest of the duration.

"Yo." Kakashi finally appeared.

"Finally." Sasuku nagged, despite the pleasant harmony of her daydreaming. Man, Ken-kun was really an invading thought, wasn't he? "Why can't you just be on time for once in your life, Kakashi-sensei?"

"I agree." Ken and Naruko coincidentally said at the same time.

"Oh, don't be like that." He scratched his cheek. "Is it not evident enough that I'm a busy man?"

"No." All three said bluntly, producing a sweatdrop from the Jounin.

"That's no fair, you're ganging up on me." He complained, though honestly, he was really glad. Not because of his misfortune, but because of the early uplifting nature between his students and him, specifically Ken. Since two days ago, the boy had kept his distance away from him, and it was more personal than just his typical daydreaming. That was understandable however. They hadn't ended on a good note last time, which was generally his fault for amplifying the situation. He didn't mean to hurt the boy– he never would dream of doing such a thing intentionally against his students, or anyone close to him for that matter– but it unfortunately felt so for the longest of times. Even returning from the land of Waves was a silence he would rather forget.

Now however, Ken was laughing alongside his comrades, like nothing had ever happened between the four of them. Just a bad, forgotten dream. Even if it was because of his dismay, Kakashi never would've expected him to lighten up so quickly around the person who seemed to dislike his taste in every thing he did, especially when the former Anbu had not even apologized yet. He was about to, specially after Kurenai's advice, so to speak. It really made him glad to see the positivity infesting the atmosphere so extemporaneously.

Still though, the covered happening from before was still there, he could feel it, no matter how much joy they dispersed. Which was why, whilst they made their way to Training Ground Three, instead of taking out his book of Icha Icha like always, he brought out the 'book of closure'.

"Ken?" He somehow got Ken on one side; separating him a little ways from the others. The copy ninja didn't know why he needed to speak to the boy in private for this matter. He wasn't that introverted, despite what his nose might say when buried in his favorite series, when it came to interacting with others, and yet, he wasn't sure if it was his nerves or just the proper talking method when he got the Genin alone with him.

"Hmm?" He looked up at the man, instinctively slowing down to keep pace with him.

"Well, about what I said a few days ago."

"A few d-days ago…? Oh, you m-mean your advice."

"Yeah, my advice." Kakashi didn't know if Ken was mocking him or was actually being genuine. I mean, maybe back when the heat of the moment was still burning the white-haired male thought of it as such, despite the harsh reality it might have brought up, but overtime, or maybe once Kurenai had, quote on quote, put him in his place, he realized that his so called 'lecture' was anything but. "I just wanted to apologize for what I said back then."

Why was he scratching his head so awkwardly? Why did he feel so 'out of his element'? This wasn't his first apology, and it was definitely not his first genuine one either. He had gone through this tunnel before, but now for some reason, he wasn't equipped with an enlightened torch or any light source for that matter.

It was completely dark– completely uncomfortable. But why? And why was it that Ken was looking so calm and… confused? Was it those emotions being shot at Kakashi from the boy's eye that was the result of his discomfort? It was so disturbing to know the Jounin was this vulnerable.

"Apologies? Wh-Why? I don't get i-it."

…Nani? "What do you mean you don't understand?"

"That's j-just it. I just don't get it. W-Were you not l-lecturing us for future co-n-nundrums?"

"I was." He shook his head. "I mean, the way I said it was unnecessary, much less the pleonasm clearly evident in my so called 'advice'. I didn't mean to put you– all three of you– in such a compromised position. My choice of words were poor, and were judgmental at it's best." He looked down shamefully, despite his mask masking half of the expression. It surprised Ken to say the least. He always viewed Kakashi-sensei as this monumental ninja who always knew what needed to be done, what needed to be said, and what was best for anyone he came across. His stature was just that incredible. His sensei was, in simple terms, the summarized personification of what he wanted to become one day. And to see the man doubting himself so was just…

…Wow…

"Kakashi-s-sensei…" He started, cutting off any other words the man was planning to say. "I… I get it n-now."

"You… get it?"

"Yeah." He gave him a small, sad smile. "I under-s-stand the place where you're s-standing in. It's n-not easy having to b-break yourself down for s-something to proceed forward."

Kakashi gave him a look, which made the boy chuckle a bit, realizing how stupidly philosophical he might have sounded.

"What I m-mean is… we all see y-you as this cool, amazing n-ninja everyone a-admires and/or fears. What you s-said could've been better p-portrayed , sure, a-and realizing that y-yourself got yourself in a fickle. A-Apologizing might've needed f-for you to break your s-stature down a bit, if n-not, a lot, which could h-have others judge you as a-an imperfect ninja wh-who doesn't always know wh-what is the right p-path to take. That by i-itself could not be a g-good sign as a leader, a J-Jounin, and even a s-sensei."

Kakashi's look of uncomprehending only deepened, and was about to deny such a foolish explanation when the speech finally sunk in. Wait, was that really what he was feeling? The unknown lurking behind his mind that he couldn't grasp properly? He was… afraid of being wrong? No, no that couldn't be it. He knew he wasn't a library with all the answers for all the questions out there, so screwing up once in a while was just something waiting around the corner for him. Obi… Obito's demise was a summary of such reasoning.

But then… why did it feel like Ken-kun was spot on with his elaboration on what he was uncomfortable with? It was crazily illogical, and yet, it made total sense at the same time. Maybe… maybe it was that exact moment what was causing all of this mixed confusion. The moment he had witnessed his comrade– _both of them, _die right before his vision. The moment he realized he needed to be more stronger, more knowledgeable, more _everything_, to prevent such memories from happening again. It made him more strict with his orders, more strict with his _lectures_.

So maybe coming to terms with how wrong he was, despite how much he wanted to be right for others, for the lives around him, made this particular situation– the alone time with Ken, the apology for his 'advice', the explanation of his wariness, _everything_– more intensely disappointing and self-loathing than it could've been. It was because despite the self-discipline he partook to be a better version of himself for everyone, including _himself_, Kakashi was faced with the destructive reality of this world.

He would never be a perfect protector of death.

The thought scared him, _very_.

Obito.

Rin.

He missed them so much…

"I…" He tried saying, but couldn't continue due to the shocking revelation. Was Ken-kun always this… intelligible?

"It's okay," Ken smiled genuinely, "I f-forgive you, Kakashi-sensei."

"Hey." They looked in front. Naruko and Sasuku stared back. "What are you guys stopping for? Let's get a move on already, 'ttebayo!"

Ken glanced back at the man, his smile still on display. "Well? Let's not keep th-the cheetahs waiting a-any longer."

Kakashi-sensei just kept staring, seeming to be fascinated by something.

Ken became confused because of this. _'Strange. Did I say something wrong?'_

"Sure." He walked past his student. "Just don't hold me back again, slowpoke."

The Genin raised an eyebrow, a curiously pleasant smile replacing the soft one from before. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei w-was the one who needed a break f-from his 'busy schedule'."

The older male chuckled through the fabric, knowing the reference. It was amazing how an expectedly sour day could turn out so sweet in the end.

Amazing indeed.

-Empty-

Knock. Knock.

"Are you done yet, Mimiru?"

…

Knock. Knock.

"Mimiru…?"

…Damn it, the little neko wasn't responding through the bedroom door. It might have been because Sakura was asking, or maybe because she was too busy getting ready for the Academy. Still, how long could one take to get ready for a Ninja Academy? There was no dress code and no personal equipment necessary, well, maybe a bag of notes, but that was it. So why was it so difficult to prepare yourself for something like this? Was it an intentional drag? Damn it!

She was going to be late for today's meeting for Team Nine. If only she wasn't responsible for locking up the house after their departure.

Man, why was her mother's medic appointment needed to be so early on a day dad worked on as well? Sure, her sister could do it instead, but Sakura was told to, and judging by how unresponsive the eight year old was to her, the Genin couldn't risk Mimiru somehow not have heard the order, or just plain doubted the young Academy student would even listen in the first place.

Due to being told by the one who ruined everything between them.

Sigh, she really screwed up big time. So many what ifs and could haves, just because she happened to open her flippin mouth on this 'crush' her sister had on Kenjo.

This was really going to be the death of her.

Knock. Kno–

The door swung open, surprising the pink-haired kunoichi.

Mimiru eye-smiled, skipping past her with a melody being hummed from her diaphragm.

Sakura's eyes followed the girl downstairs, finally sighing in relief. Well, at least what little patience she still had could at last regenerate itself again. Walking behind, Sakura witnessed her sister turned the knob of the front door and–

Click!

'…_Did… did she just closed the door in my face…?'_ Sakura's eye twitched.

As she said before, this whole thing between the two was going to be the death of her.

-Empty-

"Hey Kenny?"

The boy stopped, and looked behind him. Naruko stared back with a wide smile.

"Hmm?"

"Wanna spar?"

"S-Spar?"

"Yeah." She swiftly gave a straight jab in front of her. "I realized all you've been doing for our training sessions are solo practice over there and occasional observation on how I kick Sasuku's ass."

Said girl rolled her eyes.

"So, whaddaya say?"

"I…" He turned to face her properly, revolved away from the spot he was aiming for. The spot he usually trained by himself. Funny enough, this was the first time in a long time he was asked this. The first couple of times came from Naruko as well, during the first days when they joined Team Seven. Her expression from before still lingered in his mind.

Psych. Hype. Excitement. Pure enthusiasm. Just like always.

He rejected the offers, obviously, forcing his friend to spar with Sasuku-chan instead. The proposals probably ended due to constant 'disinterest' on his end, some interruptions stopping the offers without his knowledge, or maybe both. Regardless, he was left with his devices in peace since that day, until now.

Her expression showed the same eagerness from before, although there was an undertone being shown as well. An undertone of… wariness? Doubt? Maybe even foreseeing disappointment?

A steel for rejection, perhaps?

He was planning to just gently lower the suggestion down a peg, as he had done in previous times, but just knowing such an undertone existed, in Naruko no less, had cut his options in half.

From two, to one.

From no, to…

Oh god, was he really going to do this to himself? I mean, it wasn't real fighting, well, not to the bitter end at least, and it was a good way to test out how far one has came, but damn, was he going to receive a blue eye at the end of this, and then some.

That was, if Naruko wasn't planning to go easy on him. But then again, no progress would be made for none of them if that were the case, right?

Yep, a sack of ice was guaranteed at the end of all of this.

"Sure." He tried to put on a pumped expression, or at least a reassuring smile at best, but he could feel fakeness smacking it's self-promotion on his face, revealing itself for all to see.

But the way Naruko's face lit up like a thousand light bulbs in one enclosed area really made all of it worth it.

'_Gosh, she has such an amazing smile.'_

"Woo-hoo! That's what I'm talking 'bout, 'ttebayo!"

"I'm next." Sasuku suddenly announced. "That is, next in line to spar with De– Ken-kun." Man, she still needed to get use to his real name. It was a pleasant change for her tongue, sure, but she supposed the change was really embarrassing for her stature, and/or because of the repercussion hanging on for dear life due to using the name so many countless times. Especially if her damn self couldn't verbalize his name without a darn honorific!

…Fuck… He was really screwed, if he wasn't already. Oh well, it could be fun.

_Yeah, getting beaten up is ssoooo much fun._

…Wh-What was that?

He looked around like a maniac. Was that… the voice from before? Wait, wasn't it always just Ken being conscious of himself in the past? Why did it… But he wasn't even in the motion of thinking verbally, much less in _that _manner.

…What in the world was going on?

"Kenny?" Naruko tilted her head. "Something wrong?"

"Oh…" He gave her half of his attention. "It's n-nothing."

"Okay… if you say so." She got into position. "Ready?"

"Huh?" He finally realized her stance. "O-Oh, sure, let's."

"This will be interesting." Kakashi stood next to Sasuku. "Aside from his intelligence on traps and aiming during training, I never had gotten a chance to see where Ken-kun stood on the bar of skill on a general level before. Not even when I interrupted their bout against that masked person."

"Yeah, no joke." Sasuku crossed her arms. "Surprisingly, this is the first time we'll get to witness it. Naruko probably has a general idea what it is though, since not only is she his best friend, but also because she was with him when they fought against the bastard. By the way, has Kakashi-sensei found anything new on him? The masked man, that is."

"No, unfortunately not." He looked at his two students in front of them. "Hopefully, we'll be more ready next time we face such enemies in the future."

"We better." She stared at her male comrade. "I wouldn't want anything like that happening again to any one of you, _especially Ken-kun_."

"Hmm? What was that?"

"N-Nothing." She brushed him off, not interested in sharing her growing blush either.

Meanwhile, Ken was still trying to wrap his head around what was going to happen. Throughout his life, he never actually got to spar with Naruko before, even back at the Academy, where he was expected to, but refused, with anyone really, too afraid he'd be embarrassed shitless compared to his opponent. Although, he had been content to assist Naruko on occasions with her own training. She was happy at least for that, but was obviously disappointed at the same time.

But right now, she was finally going to spar with her friend. Her best friend. Her BFF. Her Ken, Ken-kun, Kenny-kun. Her Kenny. It was still so surreal to know it was actually going to go down.

But she couldn't dwell on it too much though.

He couldn't dwell too much either.

He needed to focus.

She needed to focus.

For him.

For her.

For their best friend.

"Ready?" Naruko asked once more, a determined frown resonating on her face.

"Yeah." He nodded back, the same frown mirroring hers.

The two bystanders stood by and watched carefully, knowing right now, history was going to be made.

What type of history wasn't definite though.

But it was there.

They could feel it.

The duo ready for mobility could feel it as well.

The regulations, and how far they would go with it were irrelevant right now.

What mattered the most was what was going to happen in a few seconds time.

Two close friends who knew each other so well were suddenly going to become closer.

Ken and Naruko suddenly broke into a pair of smiles.

Then rushed in with adrenaline pulsing through their veins.

And struck.

**-Empty-**

**End of Chapter.**

**Phew. This is actually the longest chapter I've written yet; standing at a whopping Eleven Thousand plus words. It would've been longer, but I wanted to give the 'fight' between Naruko and Kenjo the space and nurture it deserves. Shoving it into this already stretched upload would've just been a giant cluster of madness, if it isn't already.**

**So that will be it's own chapter. It's completed, along with Chapter Sixteen. The only reason it's not up yet is because of needing to double check for grammatical errors, so I'll upload it as soon as I'm done with that.**

**Thank you again for your continued support, guys!**

**Until next time.**

**-Narurific-**


	15. When One Becomes Two

**Chapter 15**

**When One Becomes Two**

**-Empty-**

Intriguing. Really intriguing. He wasn't expecting to learn so much in such a few days of investigating. Not only that, but this almost full week of research was only during a short period of time, which astonished Mizuki even more. I mean, he knew the Yandaime was a statue of brilliance, literally right now, but before, he had no real understanding what lengths the man could reach.

Rumors were the only thing he could build up on.

Now however, he had a speck of what Lord Fourth had been capable of. Suppressing a child's true nature in a single seal? Alone, it didn't speak much volume, but when you understood the strength said nature and said seal possessed, there was no denying it.

Namikaze Minato could've even given the legend known as Ootsutsuki Kaguya a run for her money. I mean, how many could claim to single-handedly seal a demon in one child and compress an immense power in another? And on the same day even? Only one, and boy, was that one to not be messed with.

Orochimaru-sama was nothing compared to him. Too bad he's dead though. Well, maybe not 'bad', considering he would literally be a pain in the ass for his boss' plans, much less his own.

Bittersweet, in layman's terms. If only that brat had shown up more frequently, especially on days when he was expected to arrive, then maybe Mizuki would have had enough data on how to release the seal by now so he could become a god himself.

Heh, his master wouldn't know what hit him. It was amazing how greed could take over oneself despite the high amount of loyalty. Well, whatever, so long as he got what he wanted in the end.

"Just a little more… just a little more…" Mizuki said lowly, smile growing wide as he chuckled darkly to himself.

"I see you're very enthused with the plan."

A kunai zipped through the air, just to be caught at the handle by the intruder.

Danzo stared back lazily at the 'toe-standing' Academy sensei.

"Oh… it's you." Mizuki breathed, internally pissed off that he was interrupted in his own humble abode without his knowledge. Damn this man and his antics! Just wait until he finally claimed that brat's powers for himself. "What do you want? Can't you see I'm in the middle of–"

Wait, when did ROOT enter as well? Were they always there beside the old man!? Damn it! Why was he so unaware nowadays?!

"I wouldn't bet against that account." Danzo expressed his understanding of Mizuki's uncompleted statement as he carelessly, yet with precision, lobbed the weapon back to the Chunin. "I was just curious as to see how far the progress with the seal has come."

Mizuki scoffed, before turning his back to the scarred man. "It's going dandy, so get out already, I have things to do."

"I know," Danzo started, "I never was fond of how poorly to treat your higher-ups, specifically myself, and to see the continued treatment even now is just disappointing. The only excuse for putting up with you is because of Orochimaru's and my agreement. So don't step out of line; it won't be a pretty sight."

"Sure, whatever." He continued his defiance.

"…" Danzo didn't speak back, instead turned around with his own back facing the addressed. "I'm trusting that you won't do anything reckless now."

"Buzz off already."

Danzo frowned, but left along with his company. Mizuki simply scowled in distaste, kicking a nearby table over. "Bastard! I'll show him not to take me lightly. I'll show them all!"

He grabbed a handful of notes from the ground, the rough grip crackling it. "And once that happens, I'll be the one who will be giving orders around here." A dark smirk made itself known. "Yeah, definitely."

-Empty-

"Ready?"

"Ready."

Those were the final words to rev two Genin toward each other, intent on putting enough effort in the session they were in. With each giant leap came a closer opponent, and before they knew it, both had struck a blow…

…against the other's.

Fist met fist, and despite the difference in comparison, it was somewhat equal. Ken didn't back off, and Naruko wasn't expecting him too, at least, not that easily. They stayed like that, pushing, shoving their fist deeper into the contact, as if it were a contest of arm-wrestling. Her BFF gritted his teeth visibly, but was the first one to give in. Emphasis on 'give in'. Instead of leaping in retreat, her Kenny ducked with mobility, her body leaning over him due to the sudden room for her advancement. She saw him smirk arrogantly for a second, seeming as if he expected the situation being held in his hands instead of hers.

He swung; his once retreated fist going in for another hit, this time, intent on inflicting regulated harm instead showing off it's strength against another. However, it wasn't to be true. Naruko had sidestepped, her left leg sweeping to the other side, as if meaning to kick an opponent from behind, her facing adjacent with the green boy's. Ken was surprised, but not entirely. This was to be expected though– her sharp reflexes– but he couldn't just leave his now vulnerable state as it was, especially when Naruko's foot was rotated behind him, aiming for his back.

He was about to be roundhouse'd. His back was going to be hit. But he wasn't planning to be.

He had a trick up his sleeve. With his fist still extending toward the spot Naruko had been, he forced it down, relaxing his balled palm and letting out a particular object from it's clutches.

Poof!

"Huh?" Naruko blinked, the sudden smoke catching her off guard. In doing so, her movements slowed down cautiously, her attack missing it's target in the process. Before she knew it however, Naruko felt a sudden pain being sent to her gut.

Oof!

She held her stomach with one hand, trying to ready herself for another blow but it was too late. The texture of a certain glove wrapped around a clenched fist struck her face, sending her stumbling out of the cloud of blindness. She gained ground rather quickly, blinking in shock as the delayed feeling of being punched so suddenly finally caught up. She grunted from the sting to her jaw, seeing Ken-kun standing in place.

A relieved smirk spreading onto his face.

"Woah." Naruko felt her jaw considerably, double checking for any broken joints. "Nice move Kenny, I really wasn't expecting a smoke bomb out of all things to erupt right then. Did you make a break for your holster that quickly?"

"Thanks, and no, n-not quite." He stood up straight, but not letting his guard down one bit. "I h-held it in my h-hand at the v-very beginning of the fight, in case o-of an emergency."

"Cool," She smirked, "pretty good reservation there."

"Again, thanks. B-But I doubt it'll w-work a second time."

"Yup." She chirped, almost mockingly, as she took a stance once more.

"Well," Kakashi seemed genuinely surprised, "I wasn't expecting that to happen."

"No kidding." Sasuku eyed Ken carefully. "And being the first to land an actual blow. I guess he really has improved significantly, or maybe we just haven't gotten to understand how good he really was before."

"Probably both." Sasuku nodded at her sensei's assumption, eyes never leaving Ken-kun. Honestly, both of them didn't really have high expectations of Ken-kun before despite their hopes on his future progress, especially with his track record back at the Academy. But after seeing such a move being pulled off and the impact on Naruko, they may have misjudged his general skills. I mean, Naruko wasn't known for pulling back any punches, and even with her best friend being her opponent, the blonde's fighting hadn't slacked off or changed as far as the match had gotten up until now. She wasn't holding back, and Ken-kun wasn't either.

This was truly a fight to see how good they were compared to each other without going too far with the sparring session.

Two best friends dueling it out.

This was really captivating at minimum.

Sasuku doubted even her past 'emo' self would be disinterested in such a spectacle before her right now.

"Ready for Round Two?" Naruko simpered in her stance.

"Only if y-you're." Ken reacted the same.

No other words were needed, because once again, the two ran with exhilaration, their eyes never leaving the other's.

In the moment, hand signs were thrown. Ken's eyes bulged a bit.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

A few clones appeared, or more accuracy, difficulty multiplied itself for the green boy. Grimacing, he reached in and threw another smoke bomb in front of himself.

"You said it yourself, Kenny-kun, it won't work a second time." Still, it was weird for him to say such a thing and yet still do it.

Suddenly, another smoke bomb went off, right in front of the first, then another followed the second, and so on until the smoke was right in front of the three Narukos.

Wait, was he seriously hiding himself in a path of smoke he was obviously following in? Wouldn't that be counterproductive? Regardless, each clone leaped to a lone direction– left and right– while the original stopped and back flipped a few times whilst giving the front cloud a kunai as a parting gift.

Her eyes still lingered carefully on the ominous smoke before her, so it was an extreme surprise to see a pair of kunai penetrating each clone soundlessly on either side. The bigger shock however was the fact that the weapons hadn't came from the smoke in front of her, but instead from further back due to their angle, with their speed not even deforming the leading fog one single bit.

Which could only mean Ken-kun was–

Suddenly, a kunai flew out from the steadily dispersing mist, aiming for her middle region. Good thing she was awake enough to avoid such a devastating pierce, Ken finally being revealed…

…and was still standing in the position his first smoke bomb went off at.

"What? But didn't you just travel through each cloud just a moment a–"

Then, it finally hit her. "You… those were just distractions. You were never running nearer, but just used them as decoys to camouflage your position." That was why the kunais from before seemed to come from further out and not from ahead.

"Yeah." He scratched his head sheepishly. "I wasn't p-planning to dunk f-for success on th-that one; it was actually one o-of those formations I thought u-up that could backfire m-more than the others. I-I wasn't expecting y-your clones to reveal th-themselves on e-each side either, so I was e-even more shocked to know _that_ than m-my escape from you by i-itself. I guess I g-got extremely lucky, to p-put it simply."

"No, no," She shook her head with a pleased smile, "that move had nothing to do with luck. In the heat of the moment, and from this angle, it really seemed believable that you were following the smoke bombs than by just staying on the same spot. Your accuracy is good too, and compared to other Genin, it's the best I've seen so far as well, including Sasuku's." Her smile soon turned suspicious. "To think you have grown so much since, well, I guess I don't really have any other time to compare it with, but you understand what I'm trying to say. Either that or you really had been holding back."

"No, you're wr-wrong." He shook his head, a sad smile forming. "I never h-had been holding back, because I-I really didn't have a-anything to hold back t-to begin with. Fragile, w-weak, laughable are a few of m-many words to describe my p-past self, and probably still d-does." He solemnly grasp the green fabric around his neck. "But with you b-being here– with _all of you_ of being h-here– walking b-beside me, supporting me, showing me c-companionship, I'd like t-to think I've grown not o-only stronger, but more w-wiser, more reliable, more… more e-everything than how I was b-before."

"Kenny…" Naruko looked thoughtful for a second, "what have I told you about taking away credit you obviously deserve? Don't underestimate yourself. You're more better than you think. All of your improvements through these years were never naught, not even close to it. It's so far from nothing, in fact, it's lapping circles around the darn number, 'ttebayo." She stood up straight for a moment. "And it's all thanks to your perseverance and dedication, Kenny-kun. Don't forget that. If we somehow had something to do with it, which would only be a slight bonus in retrospect, then it was all because you allowed us to be."

"N-Naruko…" He stared, then shook his head, a fond smile unable to stay away from his lips. "You and y-your speeches. Just a-amazing."

"Well, you know what they say," Naruko smirked, "the only way you get amazing cupcakes is if you have a _cool_ chef."

He chuckled along with Sasuku-chan and Kakashi-sensei. "They do?"

"Meh, hell I know, 'ttebayo." She shrugged with a smile, giggling along with them. "Anyway, let's resume, eh?"

"Definitely." He smiled back, watching her get into position for the nth time. That pet talk really gave him more confidence in himself. She was just that amazing. Man, was he lucky to have Naruko as a friend, much less a close one.

Sasuku and Kakashi watched carefully from the sidelines, even more interested in the match than before, especially the Uchiha. After all, she was next in line to test her boxing gloves against his. And boy, were his gloves becoming more attractive to clash with.

'I hope you won't be worn out too badly when it's our time to take each other on, Ken-kun.'

She smiled anticipatorily. Yup, she was absolutely eager to take him on now.

-Empty-

"Hey, freak."

Cat ears perked up instinctively.

"What's up with those ears of yours? Are you cosplaying or somethin'?"

"It looks freakishly real to me though, Dan."

"You're right. Well, are they real then?" The boy flicked one of them with a interfering finger, just to witness it twitch downward in retreat.

"Shit, it really is." He chuckled amusingly. "Don't tell me you were born with them? I actually feel sorry for your parents now. Having to put up with the fact that they created a freak of nature."

"Yeah, ha hah."

"Hey," A voice intervened, earning the troublemakers' attention. "Stop harassing the child and take your seats already; Iruka-sensei will be here shortly."

The boy grunted, but complied nonetheless. "Whatever, man."

He and his crew carefully avoided the person's presence by going around them.

"Hey."

Mimiru's eyes drifted to her side, meeting a pair of practical blank eyes.

"You okay?"

"Huh?" She blinked, "Of course I am. Why would you ask me that?"

They followed up the blink with one of their own. "Well, because of the recent abuse you had to endure just a moment ago. Why else?"

"Abuse?" She blinked again, acutely looking around. "Who are you talking about? Who just abused me?"

They raised an eyebrow. "Are you seriously telling me you are _that _absent-minded?"

"Hey," Mimiru furrowed, "that's not a nice thing to say to someone. If I didn't know any better, then I would've suspected that _you're_ the 'abuser'."

"I…" They shook their head, "never mind. I also wanted to offer you my companionship."

"Com… panionship?"

The way it was said made it sound as if the word was foreign to the neko. It probably was.

"It means the connection to someone you can rely on."

"Oh." Mimiru smiled sweetly. "You mean you wanna be friends?"

"Less than that but, whatever floats your boat, I suppose."

"Cool." She extended a hand. "My name's Mimiru, long for Mimi and short for Mimi-chan. What's yours?"

They took the girl's hand in theirs. "Hyuga Hanabi. It's nice to meet your acquaintance."

"Hyuga?" Mimiru's eyes bulged, taking a moment to process it. "…Cool clan name. I think I've heard it from somewhere before."

"You think?" Hanabi seemed inquisitively confused, almost offended. "The Hyuga clan is the most prestigious clan there ever is. How would you not have known that before?"

"Eh heh." She shrugged. "I don't really care that much about clans."

"Well, you _should_." She furrowed. "Clans are never equal in terms of general facets. They tend to differentiate depending on which clique is being affirmed. As of every other initialization in life, clans can be–"

"Okay, okay, I get it, geez." Mimiru laughed nervously.

Hanabi stared at her for a moment, before huffing. "Well, so long as you understand the importance of our current time."

"I'm curious though," Mimiru decided to swerve the conversation, "why the sudden invitation to become friends? I mean, I wouldn't mind being friends with everyone, but you're the only person who actually came up to me and offered it instead of just interacting through it naturally, like the others."

"It's nothing significant." She crossed her arms with closed eyes. "I merely found a sudden interest in your dismissal of my former companion, that's all."

"Former companion?"

"Correct." She opened her eyes to give Mimiru a serious look. "The one who goes by the name of Sakuri."

"Sakuri…?" Then, it clicked. "Oh, the girl next to me." She turned to stare at the spot beside her, but the one who typically occupied it wasn't there. She probably was running late.

"Unfortunately." Hanabi shook her head in distaste. "The moment you rejected her existence was the moment I realized we had more in common than I first initialized."

"I… didn't really _reject _her…" Mimiru bit her lip, a sense of guilt taking form from the inside. A few days ago– Monday– the two had an argument because of their similar preferences of a certain handsome hunk. It wasn't planned to escalate so far as it had gone, at least not for Mimiru, but it just… well, happened. The fire that had once ignited due to a certain stalker a few years ago had finally made itself known again inside of the neko. It was a sour taste to her, like a fruit gone bad, or milk that expired.

It wasn't a nice feeling to be so rude to others, but it brought a certain passion to the surface of her being. A passion of protective and possessiveness. The 'double P'. It was instinctual, a click of a switch, a struck of lightning. It was impossible to ignore it– deny it–to suppress it. It had a mind of it's own, and whether not it held the best or worst outcome for others is irrelevant. All that mattered was her Kennii-chan, and her Kennii-sensei alone.

But, now that she was actually reflecting on what she had said, what she had done, how she reacted to the situation, it stung. It really stung. No matter how much she wanted to be there for her Kennii-chan, to lean on his and only his side, knowing that she hurt others never felt like an accomplishment to be proud of. Not even for her handsome honey.

It was like her hands were dirty, and with dirty hands came no touchy-touchy for her Kennii-Kennii. She just had to scrub the grease off, to bleach the accursed soil off of her skin before she could be reclaimed in her gorgeous hubby's embrace once again.

_Stop lying to yourself. You don't, you _can't_, feel any sympathy or consideration of your past choices when it's for our husband's sake._

Mimiru's eyes bulged wide. _'O-Our…?'_

_I m-mean, 'your'. But it's not like this isn't _you_ who is speaking to yourself, right?_

Her eyebrows furrowed a bit sub-consciously. _"Then am I not suppose to think 'my' instead of 'our' or 'your'?"_

"What are you saying?" Hanabi's voice spoke up. "Speak up if you're in the middle of company."

Mimiru gave her a glance, contemplating whether to address the internal issue right now or shove at the back of her mind for later. "Sorry, I was just talking to myself."

"Do you mind?" A voice entered the fray, their heads turning to stare at the newcomer.

Uchiha Sakuri.

"Heh, whatever. My business here is done anyway." Hanabi strolled away, giving Sakuri access to her seat. Well, almost.

She raised an eyebrow to her classmate, who in turn, finally realized why. "Oh, s-sorry." She made way for the Uchiha, watching her desk-mate slide in nonchalantly before taking her seat again.

It felt like there was an ellipsis drifting in the air, signifying the silent awkwardness in the classroom despite the talkative noise everyone else was producing.

Why was she feeling so guilty? She shouldn't be, right? It was Sakuri's fault for trying to interfere with her and her hubby's soon-to-be happily ever after. So feeling such an emotion shouldn't be normal in these circumstance, right? Right? Despite the countless amount of convincing, Mimiru couldn't find it in herself to stand by such a fact. She just… she just couldn't. Maybe… maybe if she was asked or told by her Kennii-chan, then maybe this guilt wouldn't be here right now. The guilt of stepping across the line without having someone backing her up. Being the only one to be blamed on. But she couldn't just have her lovely man be the culprit of conflict though. That wouldn't be right. She couldn't have him take the hit for her, so having him involved by commanding her to be ruthless to others was a no-no in general.

Man, it was so confusing. And her onee-chan. Oh, how she wronged her sibling as well. She felt ugly. She didn't feel right. The realization of what she had done to others was finally catching up, and it wasn't pretty. Not one bit. Maybe… maybe her onee-chan was right. Maybe it was best to forget about her happily ever after. To forget about being happy. To forget about her Kennii-chan. At least that way, he wouldn't be involved in whatever trouble she may stir up in the future, just because her handsome stud was just too irresistible, even for others.

It would be safer. It would probably be for the best.

For everyone.

_What are you thinking? Don't be ridiculous!_

'_But–'_

_Don't you get it? Who saved you when you were four years of age?_

'…_Kennii-chan…'_

_Who was the first person who showed you kindness?_

She closed her eyes, knowing where the voice was going with these questions. _'Kennii-chan…'_

_Who saved you when your onee-chan rejected you, when everything else was falling apart, just like back at the Orphanage?_

'_K-Kennii-chan…'_

_Who inspired you to find peace through art?_

'_Kennii-chan.'_

_Who gave you meaning in your life? Who gave you hope for a brighter future? Who motivates you each time you wake up? When you take a step outside? To move? To eat? To live on despite the hate others may have for you because of how you look on the outside? To sleep happily? Keep the nightmares away? Keep the tears from falling? Keep your smile from flipping? Who brought you here? To the Academy? Who made you feel like you're worth than others make you out to be? Who? WHO? _WHO!?

'_K-Kennii-chan…'_

_I can't hear you._

'_Kennii-chan.'_

_Louder._

"_Kennii-chan."_

_Louder!_

"Kennii-chan."

Sakuri's ears perked up.

_LOUDER!_

"KENNII-CHAN!"

Everyone's eyes were focused on the sudden outburst, full of confusion, startle, amusement, curiosity, watching the girl 'eek' her way under her desk after covering her mouth with her palms.

_Good. Now don't forget that ever again, got it? You– I wouldn't want to repay my hubby's sweet kindness by just outright forgetting about him, do I?_

'_N-No…'_

_So then, what are you going to do about this 'feeling' of guilt?_

'_I'll…' _She finally shook her head, fed up of hesitating due to alterations from within. _'I'll forget about them.'_

_That's right._

Steadily, she sat back down, eyes stern and fixated straight forward. Confidence finally overcame her consideration, burning it to forgotten ashes. She wasn't going to question her actions for her Kennii-chan anymore. So what if others felt horrible because of it? It's just a small price to pay for protecting her Kennii-chan. Keeping her hubby safe, from arms reach. From the person next to her. From her onee-chan. From anyone and everyone else.

Mimiru ignored the eyes on her, and barely heard the entrance of her sensei afterward. An internal smile formed inside Mimiru's head.

Sakuri gave her a look of discontent. Shouting her sensei's name out like that…

This girl… was going to be a real problem. She could just feel it.

-Empty-

"Damn cat." Sakura held the feline as far away from her delicate face as her arms could stretch.

"I think it likes you." Naori giggled cutely, only to receive a depreciated glare from her pink-haired companion.

"Let's just get this annoying thing back to it's owner before I lose it."

"Careful not to drop the merchandise." Naori joked.

"At least if I do, it will land on it's feet."

"That's not a certain estimate." Runo interjected with a raise of his glasses.

"Whatever, smartass." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"I prefer genius, thank you very much."

"Oh, loosen up already why don't ya?" Naori gave Runo a small pat. Emphasis on 'small'. It seemed to him that she was actually trying to dislocate his spinal cord with how much strength she had placed in her 'pat'.

"Are you trying to disrupt my vertebral column?"

"Your what?" She tilted her head.

"He means his back." Sakura explained, glaring at the flailing animal.

"Of course not, pal." She chuckled. "That was just a pat on the back. Nothing more, nothing mess."

"I believe it's pronounced as 'nothing less', and if you honestly refer it as just a 'pat on the back', then I would highly advise you to never obligate one ever again."

"Really? Was it that bad?"

"Very."

"You guys, a little less talking and a little more helping?" Sakura stated more than inquired.

"Ooh, ooh, gimme, gimme!" Naori pleaded childishly, reaching out for the pet.

"Here, catch."

"That's not advisory." Runo tried, but it was too late.

Scratch! Scratch!

"AH!" Naori heaved herself away, the cat sprinting away for dear life.

"Naori! You let it get away!" Sakura complained, chasing after it with a tired huff. It wasn't needed however, since a pair of hands caught it themselves. "S-Sensei!"

"Really?" The Jounin sighed, disappointment leaking out as well. "You guys couldn't even take care of a simple kitten?"

"Kitten? More like a lion." Sakura furrowed at the beast, only to earn an awful hiss in return from the 'lion', it's body purring deeper in the man's embrace.

"Dad." Runo acknowledged, walking near the duo, along with a pained Naori shuffling behind. "Your assistance wasn't necessary. We had the situation under control."

"I doubt it very much." He chuckled before looking at Naori. "You okay there, Naori-chan?"

"Owi." She wailed uncomfortably, the red marks on her face stinging with each passing second. "That thing can really bite."

"Scratch." Runo corrected nonchalantly.

"Noone likes a smartass, son." Their sensei smiled, the boy glaring behind his spectacles. "C'mon, let's get Ms. Cuddles to her owner. Also, I think those marks needs some treatment as soon as possible."

"Please, let's." Naori whined pleadingly, the four beginning to jump from building to building. "Hey, Ichiro-sensei, can I ask you something?"

"Hmm?"

"Why does Ms. Bubbles enjoy your touch and not ours? I mean, I don't remember calling it fat before."

"Hey." Sakura exclaimed, taking offense despite being the one at fault. "Is it thin or something?"

"We probably had the stench of the one who offended it." Runo spoke up, only to receive a threatening growl from the Haruno member.

"I doubt it's because of what Sakura said, though I think it might had something to do with it in the end."

"That's not a proper answer." Sakura said, mainly because of the agreement of their sensei.

"I'm kidding, Sakura-chan." He laughed. "Cats, much like any other animal, have senses of their own. Some intense than humans. But the one thing in common we have with them is that we all can feel. We shouldn't take them for granted, since they feel as much as we do. So if they feel as if they're in danger, or uncomfortable in a specific situation or environment, they'd try to get away as far as possible. Sometimes it's petty things like a shadow being casted on the wall, or maybe ominous entities, like a dog's bark, or Sakura-chan's scent."

"Hey!"

"Ha hah," He chuckled, "so to jump over such hurdles, you need to be gentle and considerate of her feelings. As she was trying to get away from you three, she felt the nurturing care of someone nearby, at least compared to her initial enemies, that is."

"Wow," Naori spoke for the three of them, completely forgetting about the scratches on her skin, "that sounds complicated and yet, Ichiro-sensei made it sound so simple at the same time."

"Sorry for my confusing explanation." He chuckled nervously, giving his students a glance. "Just remember, you shouldn't force yourself or your ideals on others, even if it's just animals, it'll just end up in a catastrophe if anything else. Try to give them time to get accustom to their surroundings and the idea of being around foreign ideals from outside their usual thought line."

Sakura smiled at her sensei. He was really something. Gentle at heart, and considerate of others. Not to mention smart. His explanations, despite how corny and philosophically boring it sometimes could be, always had an impact on her– on them– no matter what the subject of it was.

It almost reminded her of someone else. Someone she thought of before, in the Academy.

Oh, that's right.

Kenjo.

Despite the lack of time she spent with him, especially during their Academy days, she had a good idea what the surface level was for Kenjo. She saw him from afar, always hanging out with Naruko, regardless if it was class time, recess, or after the Academy. They were two peas in a pot, everyone knew that. There could've been more peas, but Naruko wasn't interested in lessening her time with her 'BFF', and for some reason, nobody liked Kenjo very much.

He was just a kind and fragile boy, living in a bloody and harsh world. Maybe that was why he didn't normally fit in with anyone except Naruko. But that was the thing. Naruko was almost an exact spitting image of her friend. Their personalities were almost in sync, their ideals identical in every way. Yet, Naruko seemed more appealing to others than her male comrade. Well, maybe not at the beginning.

Maybe it was because of her skyrocketed grades and skills, having her popularity in the back seat of the rocket as well. Kenjo… his rocket didn't have such a good take off though, so that might have affected his image for everyone else. Which was just stupid. Hang out with people because of themselves, not because of what they had or accomplished. It was as if they just wanted to have Naruko as a trophy for their shelf. To show her off to others with pride or something.

Sakura would've gone, but that was the problem. She had a group already, and he had Naruko. Her group's ideologies of Kenjo didn't matter to her, she would've gone up to him and struck a conversation regardless. But seeing such a content look on his face from afar made herself content enough to let him be. So long as he wasn't alone, she wasn't worried. Naruko was his savior from the darkness, so Sakura's presence wasn't needed.

Now that she thought about it, they really were similar in comparison– Kenjo and Ichiro-sensei– well, at least as far as personalities went. It was almost as if they were related somehow, or maybe the same person, just from different times in life. Like her sensei was Kenjo from the future. Bizarre, she knew. Still, all of this talk about a specific green boy had certainly brought up the face of a certain blunette in her mind as well.

Sakura sighed. It was truly futile for her to continue to attempt to swerve Mimiru in the right lane. Her thick skull would never listen to person. I mean, she was only trying to do what was best for her sister, nothing else. It was for her, not for Sakura. Maybe she just needed to try to implant it even further inside of her mind and–

Wait a second. Her eyes drifted to the cat in her sensei's arms. That cat… what Ichiro-sensei just said… what she was trying to do to Mimiru.

_Try to give them time to get accustom to their surroundings and the idea of being around foreign ideals from outside their usual thought line._

It all made sense to her now. All she had to do was wait. Wait until the information of her unrequited love finally sank in deep enough for her to reconsider this whole silly feeling she had for Kenjo. That it was all futile in the end. Just like how forceful she was with her little neko sister. If she waited, then everything would go back to the way they once were.

When this whole thing about Kenjo was a mystery not needing to be discovered.

This wasn't the first time the idea of waiting came across her mind, but it was definitely stronger than before, especially after what her sensei had told them.

And just like it not being the first time, the opposite thought came back for another round as well:

What if she was wrong?

Or more importantly, what if Mimiru's realization wouldn't happen in time before her young heart got rejected? What if waiting was the exact opposite she had to do in her role as a sister? As a sibling?

Maybe… maybe she just had to go with the flow. Maybe if it really was the wrong choice, and Mimiru received the inevitable words of rejection, then a broken heart might be necessary for her to actually open her eyes to reality. That there was never truly a happy ending in the end. That her ideals were just folklore the whole time.

It was a disgusting, painful and excruciating thing to even consider, much less accept, but perhaps it was unavoidable, much like everything else about this whole notion of love.

She let out an even larger sigh, mind finally made up. It wasn't at ease. It wasn't in acceptance, or even approval. It was just made up.

Just made up…

-Empty-

It was really difficult.

Really fucking difficult.

Naruko wasn't making it any easier either.

But that was fine.

It was acceptable, even endorsing.

He wanted this. He wanted all of her.

Every single crumb of her strength.

It gave him a sense of accomplishment.

Whether he won or lost, knowing his friend didn't hold anything back made the outcome more satisfying regardless of the result.

Still, he couldn't help this flaming adrenaline bursting through his veins.

It thickened his blood tunnels with each punch. Each kick. Each strike. Each block. Each thought. Each movement. Each heartbeat. Each second.

Each passing second.

It was… exhilarating. Needful. Addictive. First time he actually felt such a pulsating rush was during his punch to that asshole who bullied his friend back at the Academy. But that ended so quickly it was barely noticeable. His first C-Ranked mission was somehow a reminder of this last resort of a drug called 'violence'. But when it came to that masked man, boy, did it wake up the reminiscing of tongue-drooling thirst. He wouldn't admit it to anyone else but himself, that fighting…

…Was _fucking FUN!_

Sure, he felt a pit of regret in his stomach for others' sake, but damn, did it feel good to punch something. What a missing piece fighting was when he was younger. If only he'd beaten something up more. It would've saved him a lot of sleepless nights–

…Well, maybe not that, but you get the picture.

You wouldn't have thought of him as such a freak for fighting if you only saw the surface level of his presence. The concept probably wasn't enjoyable in the slightest, the way he portrayed himself most of the time. But if you were close enough to his core, you wouldn't have such thoughts. That was why when Naruko saw his tired, yet pumped smile, she wasn't surprised one bit.

"Having fun, Kenny-kun?"

"You h-have no idea." He chuckled, wiping a trickle of blood coming his nose. She really did a number on his face, that was for sure.

Naruko frowned. Not only because of the damage she caused– she knew of that a while ago and was glad that it wasn't a let down for Ken-kun's spirit or energy. No, what she was really frowning at was the blood being poured from his being.

More specifically, the color of it.

Black blood.

She had no idea why it was such a hue. Sure, some vessels, or she supposed layers, of the body had a deeper extravagance to it when searching for red liquid. But no where in a person's carcass was a biological indication of true pure, dark blood.

She had never seen such a thing before, none of them had, which was why when Naruko was patching Ken-kun's wound up after their ambush defense during their first C-Ranked mission– which had raised due to the sudden circumstance of Mist ninja– no one could've expected such a liquid to leak from him. It was… awkward to say the least. Unfortunately, Ken had no idea why it was like so either.

They guessed it had to be a disease, but Kakashi-sensei, for some odd reason, shrugged it off as just Ken being a unique case. Nothing more, nothing less. Naruko knew he was lying, he had to be. Who says such an issue was a unique case and does nothing about it? What crap! But she decided to let it be. It was one thing to argue with their sensei, but it was another to go against his wishes. The aftermath of the masked person was proof enough of his 'wrath'.

Even still, it was a worrying case for the blonde. It wasn't natural to bleed that colored blood, but she supposed worrying about it wasn't going to do her any good, especially right now.

Right now, she was intended to be focused on one thing and one thing only.

And that was to spar with her BFF.

She suddenly summoned another pair of clones, a smirk on each of them. "Get ready, cause I'm about to send an endless barrage of attacks toward you, Ken-kun."

"Aw, you really sh-shouldn't." He smiled to himself. "I hope y-you don't mind` a rebuttal th-though."

"Not at all." Then without warning, a few of the clones rushed in while the others stood behind.

Ken frowned. She was holding back? No, it was a trick. She was probably going to attack with the next bunch when he least expected it. Too bad for her, he was. Ken slammed a smoke bomb below himself, forming a cloud of cover.

"One trick puppy?" One of the Narukos asked amusingly, going in for the kill before he could escape. Suddenly, her Ken-kun ran past her, surprising the frontal clone.

"You're the one t-to talk." He smirked when they past each other.

When the smoke disappeared, all that laid as a memoire of it's presence was a paper bomb.

Wait, what!?

And just like that, the clone was demolished, with Ken racing to the other two behind it. He threw a punch to one of them, but she easily evaded it with a lean to the right, sending a fist to his face. What none of the Narukos was ready for however, was a devious smirk forming on their friend's face. As quickly as he could, he stopped his missing fist, the end result sending a hidden kunai from under his sleeve to shoot out due to the sudden change in velocity. He grabbed, and despite the blow to the face afterward, was able to use his recant Naruko's fist gave him to his advantage and force the kunai in the clone's back, 'poofing' it from existence.

With his body still spinning from the punch, he wildly swung his kunai still in hand, hoping to take out the other clone nearby, or at least to keep a constant defense whilst recovering. Unfortunately, the former wasn't meant to be, with the clone's reflexes as sharp as it was. She grabbed his swinging wrist, and threw him over her back, right in the fire range of the awaiting clones and the original.

His mind was still in a bit of a daze from the blow, so he wasn't able to deflect the sudden blows racing through his body.

Wham! Pow! Whack!

His figure retaliated backward, unbalanced as his back kissed the ground with a thud. Shaking his head in desperation, Ken rolled to the side, dodging incoming shuriken. As best as he could, he kicked himself up to his feet, but a rocketing foot had aimed itself for his still airborne mid-section. Ken somehow swung his kunai downward though, cutting the skin of the exposed ankle, but was still sent flying from the kick.

At least he heard a satisfying poof. Despite the blow striking the wind out of him, Ken, still being sent through mid-air, threw a couple of shuriken at the first blonde his dazed vision could pick up with.

He attempted to skid for balance, but as with any other aspect in his life, Ken wasn't trained well enough to do such a thing with such force applied to his body, the backside of his clothing scraping itself on dirt and patches of grass for the umpteenth time. The green boy panted for oxygen, trying to regain life in his lungs, and also maybe his lunch, wherever it might have been on the battlefield.

But his friend wasn't having none of that. Naruko wouldn't let him. Which was a blessing and a curse. Thank goodness he saw the flying Genin, falling from the sky like the skillful angel she was, intending to knock some more guts out of his stomach. Instinctively, his legs came up, catching the clone right where he wanted. Her _own_ stomach. Pushing with an escalating grunt, moreover due to his rising exhaustion than her weight, the Naruko was sent straight upward, aligning their x and z axis almost perfectly.

Sensing another pair of clones rushing their way to him, as quickly as his tired arms could let him, grabbed a few shuriken in his pouch and threw it up all at once.

Professionally, the Naruko in the air almost deflected all of them, but due to her stable condition, and the number of tools saying 'hi' at the same time, her disperse was inevitable.

Good, that was one more down. Now he just had to–

Oof!

Too late.

Kakashi grimaced at how insistent Naruko was in keeping the pace going. She really was taking her best friend to the limit. Hopefully after this, it wouldn't have any side-effects on their friendship.

Sasuku merely watched carefully at how Ken-kun attempted to adjust himself for each and every phase of the match. He was not doing too bad, in fact, he was incredible with his aim and strength behind his attacks, especially for someone of his caliber. But she would be lying if she said he was showing signs of continuation. His lack in response, compared to how he started at least, was becoming lackluster at it's best. Ken-kun was slowing down considerably; fatigue was gaining up on him.

He wasn't going to last long. Best case scenario for her male comrade was that he would fall unconscious due to exhaustion. Worst case… she didn't even want to know.

"Kakashi-sensei," She muttered, worry leaking from her usual stern tone, "I think it's time to call it quits."

"You think so?" He turned to her questionably. He was thinking the same thing, but to see Sasuku speak up before him for Ken-kun's sake was surprising, or at least, that was what he expected her interjection to be for.

"Yeah, I think we should."

"No!"

Their eyes fixated themselves on the sudden outburst.

Ken slowly stood up, breathless as all hell. His breathing, outer condition, even his tipsy motion filled the three persons around him with full of concern, and unexpected shock when considering his declining reply to their reflection. Naruko stared intently at her friend, her clones empathizing with her.

"I'm… n-not do… -one y-yet…" He panted heavily, doing his upmost to keep himself from falling. "I-I-I… still c-can go on…"

"Ken-kun," Sasuku furrowed, "don't be in denial. You barely can keep yourself from standing up straight, let alone keep going. Besides, this isn't about winning or losing. It's a spar, and as far as sparring goes, continuing would just defeat the purpose of ever starting it in the first place."

"Y-You're wrong…" He breathed.

"Ken-kun, she's right." Kakashi asserted. "The aim of sparring is not about beating your opponent. If you continue this defiance, then you're just going to overdo yourself, and a team isn't complete with two members."

"You c-count as… one too, d-dummy…" Tayamaru was barely able to smirk at his sensei, his chest expanding and retracting over and over again. "And b-besides, you g-guys are mistaking m-my… goal here…"

"…"

"I don't w-want to beat N-N-Naruko; I know I n-n-never will…" He stared at the ground, his bottom lip unfortunately a bit thicker and redder than usual. "Do you w-want to know wh-why I'm g-going to… continue fighting…?"

Noone spoke up. His weakened yet persistent state enough to keep them from going up to him and knocking his stubborn ass out cold for everyone's sake, including his.

"Because I'm n-not at my… wit's end y-y-yet…" He breathed, "that's wh-why I won't g-give up, why I e-even… had the p-p-patience to allow myself to s-stay an A-Academy student instead o-of just… dropping out i-i-in the first place." His gaze finally met Naruko's once more. "Hey Naruko… w-wanna know why I k-kept avoiding y-you when you wanted t-to spar… even back a-at the Academy…?"

She just stared at him in silence for a moment longer. Seeing him like this not only made her feel an extraordinary amount of guilt, pain, and regret, but also gave her a sense of discontinuing just because she was unable to bare his state, no matter how much she loved that strong will of his. "…Why?"

He gave her a weak, tired smirk. "Because I was a-afraid. Afraid of w-wasting your time. Afraid of being a w-waste of a sparring p-partner when there were s-so many others who c-could do better than me, who could p-push you further than I c-could ever hope to. Afraid o-of taking your time for granted… e-even though you deserve s-so much more. Not only those t-t-times, but _a-all_ the time. I'm a-afraid of showing how f-f-fucking weak I am to you, even w-with so much time being p-p-passed, even with you b-by my side, with a-a-all of you by m-my side… That's wh-why I a-avoided you… avoided any f-fight I could j-just to hide m-my shame, and y-your disappointment…"

Her heart ached, her mouth needing to utter rebelliousness to what he had just said. He always did this. Degraded himself. Believing he couldn't reach the nearest star possible even with a spaceship. She wanted to reassure him, scowl him, sooth him, do any and everything she could to deny his self-loathing, no matter how many times it took.

After all, that was what BFFs did for each other. They had each other's backs no matter how many obstacles stood in their way.

Even though with what he had said had came from his heart, and how truthful his fear was for ridiculous reasons, Naruko still felt hurt, just knowing he had been, _and_ was still hurting.

His pain was hers. Simple as that.

"But…" He continued, a sweaty palm clenching itself on his side, "I-I knew I couldn't keep t-turning my back to your offers. I-It was already tough to d-do it the f-first time. So I d-d-decided right th-then and there that… when the time came for me to give into your proposals, I w-would t-turn my fear into a _drive_. A drive that w-will keep me going no m-matter the circumstance."

Ken finally stood up straight, his back– his everything– aching, yet he didn't care. Not one damn bit. His determined expression was the look of someone who didn't give two shits about something as mundane as pain.

At least not then. At least not now.

Right now, he needed to be strong. For her. For his opponent.

"To t-turn my fear of wasting y-your time by s-sparring with me into _endless determination!"_

Naruko's mouth hung a bit. Speechless. Unable to rebuttal. Unable to respond. Sasuku and Kakashi couldn't find the right words either.

For the first time, even if it was just in terms of response, Tayamaru Kenjo felt as if he was finally in front of his peers.

Finally in the lead.

Finally looking back instead of forward.

Finally walking in front of his team.

"Kenny…" Naruko mumbled, a smile of comprehension soon making it's own on her lips.

Ken smiled as well, getting into position, his recent ache being turned into nothing but little needles lightly prodding him for attention.

"Ready?" Funny enough, instead of the blonde asking him, for the first time since they began their physical bonding, Ken was the one asking her.

This only made her smirk even more.

"Ready."

And with that, the final round between two best friends began.

**-Empty-**

**End of Chapter**

**That's it for Chapter 15. I was planning to finish the fight in one full chapter, but because of my unnecessary insertion of extra scenes unrelated to the spar, I ended up with a decent amount of words: over Eight-K.**

**Regardless of the word count, ending the chapter there as it is just felt right, you know? Or maybe this is just me being desperate for a cliff hanger or something.**

**Anyway, thank you all so much for your support thus far, 'preciate it a bunch, guys.**

**Until next time.**

**-Narurific-**


	16. When Life Denies Lemons

**Chapter 16**

**When Life Denies Lemons**

**-Empty-**

Nothing in life was easy. There always had to be something that needed to go wrong. Always something had to be in your way. It was blasphemous, a consistent reminder from life that it never played fair in any 'game' that awaited for you. You were the 'player', in other words, you were it's puppet. It was the puppeteer.

To put it more bluntly, it was the master, you were the dog. The bitch. It's bitch. When they say to jump, and you ask how high. Simple as that.

You would think that the more you resist, the more power you gain, the less and less it– your master– had control over you. If you did, hah, what world were you living in? The ninja world? What was the benefits of being a ninja if you had no control over how better your life could be? No reason, and yet, here we are.

Here she was.

Uzuki Yugao. A droplet in the vast ocean we called society.

She was just your average Anbu who made a living by following orders by her 'master'. Like anyone else. Nothing special. Nothing privileging about that. Just plain old, plain old.

A droplet in a vast ocean indeed.

So, if nothing made her so special, why still bother putting her name on that damn list of Chunin? They shouldn't have, that's the thing. Cause 'Anbu' were supposed to be this special force, a reliable source, people you could call for help when needed.

Wait, reliable? They were screwing her bolts, weren't they? If they were so 'reliable', why was her boyfriend dead then? Why were their numbers decreasing after each outfield request? Why was she stuck with babysitting not one, but _two _kids instead of doing special force missions like how she had been told?

Because that's just how things were. That's just how life played the game. Unfair. As usual.

She sighed, at least she had 'lunchtime' each morning. Until the afternoon. Right through the damn night. Babysitting. It was tiring. Taking care of an Uchiha and some kid everyone hated. Man, life really sucked as a ninja, didn't it?

Not only that, but now it was 'report time'. Woo-hoo, the 'favorite', 'eventful' time of her day. Where she was expected to arrive on time so she may 'report' the most 'interesting' things that happens in the lives of two kids of no importance of her.

Great.

SIGH…

Sorry, sorry. She didn't mean to rant, it was just that… she meant to rant. It was the only time she felt in control of herself. When life couldn't tell her what was left and what was right. When she could completely ignore her surroundings and listen to herself bitch about her life's problems to no one in particular.

Heh, funny. Had she not just used a metaphor on being a 'bitch'? Meh, whatever. She should focus on what she had to say. Kami knew her 'master' wasn't one to be taken lightly.

"Neko." Tsume, currently masked, said sternly, devoid of any other emotion. "Report."

"Hai, Fang." Yugao spoke through her cat-like façade. "All seems to be normal as it is. The Uzumaki child had taken the privilege of hibernating in the Uchiha residence, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary, as far the phrase implies in this situation. Signs hadn't been shown of any caliber on Tayamaru's compressed history, and his presence as usual has kept the youngest sibling of the Uchiha sisters from any severe leaps in misfortune."

"Good. So long as their states stays relatively stable, especially Ken's, our expectations won't lag or waver in unfortunate routes."

Yugao didn't reply.

"You're free for your own devices until your specified time, Neko. Dismiss."

"Fang."

Tsume turned around again.

"May I interject for a moment?"

"What is it, Neko?"

"I don't quite see the importance of such a task for a professional Anbu such as myself." Tsume continued to eye her. "It's not as if my personal abhorrence of said task has affected my performance during my time on patrol, at least as far as my knowledge goes, but I personally do not see why should an Anbu in general be responsible for… supervising villagers when there are Jonin, even Chunin on standby for orders."

The silence afterward gave Yugao an unnerving feeling, especially when she stared into the blank mask's eyes of one of the higher-ups in the Anbu field. Her 'master'. "…Neko," Tsume fully faced the blunette, "Have you not realized the rapid decrease in Anbu lately?"

"I have." She said honestly, though the enquiry somehow intensified her nerves. Not only because her comrades were disappearing quixotically, but also because of the spontaneous citing of the question.

"And the reasoning behind it?"

"I… no."

"It is because their presence are requested outside of the village. Maybe the actual reason isn't really discovered yet, but the setting has been. So, unless you are able to convince your superiors _and_ the Hokage to risk your life out there in these dire times, then go right ahead and waste your 'lunchtime'."

"…"

"I know what is expected out of you right now isn't ideal for an Anbu of your quality, but what Konoha needs right now isn't our opinions, but our assistance. And what you are doing, despite how it may seem, is drastic in terms of priority."

"…I understand." Of course she did. She knew all about what the child dubbed Kenjo had done. She knew it all too well. She was young, but the word had spread like wildfire. Much like their bijuu.

"That's good to know." Tsume turned around once more. "Anything else you need to get off your back, Neko?"

"No."

"Then you're dismiss."

Soon, Yugao was alone with her thoughts. 'Of course I am. I always am at this point of the day.' Sighing, she stared up at the sky, her feet balancing on the sloped roof of some random householder.

'Well, no need to waste my time moping. Damn, I'm hungry, and tired.'

-Empty-

Where did all this energy from? Just a second ago, he had been tired as shit. Now, he felt like a million Ryo mansion. Well, a million Ryo mansion that had been dented in, but a mansion nonetheless. Maybe it was because of the 'loan' he received from his friend. Naruko.

If so, then it was only fair that he gave everything he owed back, along with interest, right? Interest– more power. More strength. Multiply her kindness by as much as he possibly could.

Hopefully he could do that. After all, his rushing feet felt like a chainsaw had just brutally removed them. Ironic, since you can't feel removed limbs, only the separation. But that butchery was neither then nor now. Right now, he needed to take on several Narukos at once.

Man, fighting sure had a number of full stops. Just like everything else in life, sentences needed to end as well. As well as her chakra. But damn, was it like Naruko was drinking from a dam full of it. Was he really that far behind, or was she really that special to seem like the fight had just begun for her?

Either way, her breaking point seemed _way far_ up the food chain right about now. Like a rainforest tree, glaring down upon him. What Ken needed to do, or what he wanted to accomplish at least, was to chop as much wood as possible, not banking for any 'timber'.

How was he gonna do that, you might have asked yourself?

He had no flippin idea. But that didn't mean he wasn't self-obligated to try. After all, he promised to not waste her time, to not let this session be in vain of her skills. He needed to push her to the edge. To bring out as much of her as possible, so that she couldn't feel disappointed in herself for offering this spar. In his ability.

In him.

Slide!

Ken somehow slid on dry grass, dodging a punch and grabbing the attacker's ankle. He quickly stood, as much as it pained him to, and attempted to throw the clone against another.

Unfortunately, the thrown Naruko was parried right back to him by the target.

Fortunately though, his momentum didn't die out yet. He kept running after the heave, so it wasn't a complete surprise to see the surprise on Naruko's face when she was still getting over the fact that she had been thrown right back.

Slice!

His kunai tore right through the fake clothing, opening her skin from her chest to her stomach.

Poof!

Kunai still in hand, Ken attempted to take out the still recovering target– the one who threw her dispersed partner in the first place– but there was a blonde interruption instead in the corner of his eye.

A kunai flew to his rushing form, but he fluctuated his own for protection.

Cling!

Ah, music to his ears. At least he was safe from–

Slice!

Ken grimaced harshly, hissing in pain as his eyes dotted downward.

His initial target in front of him had took the opportunity to attack his leg with her own metal weapon. It lacerated through his pants, adding an open slit on the side of his calf. Naruko watched carefully as her friend seemed to fall to his back.

To her surprise however, it was only an act; Ken's hands held his weight at the last moment– hand standing– his body twisted athletically, his uncut leg rotating and kicking the nearby clone in it's face, poofing it from existence. At the same time, as his body tilted for his legs to replace his hands, another kunai slipped out of his sleeve due to Ken being upside down. It was thrown, and landed perfectly in the chest of one of the Narukos nearby, dispersing it as well.

After he settled himself down, his eyes started darting left and right with paranoia, grasping yet another kunai in defense.

"Well," Naruko smirked, "you certainly weren't lying when you said you weren't at your wit's end yet."

"Heh," Ken managed to smile between his heavy breathing, "all th-thanks to… my a-amazing friend."

"Aw." Her smile became genuine for a second. "Don't hope flattery will make me go easy on you though."

"Wouldn't d-dream of it."

"I'm glad you won't." Naruko got ready for her last assault. "This has been extremely fun, Kenny-kun; I really had a blast with ya. But I think it's time I end this. The sooner you get in bed, the sooner you can get back up."

Ken frowned at this, yet his insides smiled wider. "Don't c-count on it being th-the last bout, Naruko. I still… can g-go on all night."

"Maybe," She did the necessary hand gestures, "but after this, I doubt you that pretty much. Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

And with that, the battlefield became a giant dust cloud, only to reveal a swarm of endless Narukos.

Ken stared, bewildered as much as his tired eyes could show. _"Wow…"_

Was this what awaited him at the end of the tracks? This had to be. It was more astounding than anything he had ever seen before. It was ridiculous how many there were. It seemed like an entire village of Narukos just popped out of nowhere. He was almost certain a sight of this quality would have made any kind of opponent resign as soon as possible.

It was just that insane how powerful Naruko was. He would definitely not be able to catch up to her no matter how much he'd put in in his training. Someone like him had no hope in meeting such a level in any lifetime. Yet, as he continued to look around him in shock, the feeling of hopelessness, of minority, of self-doubt, never came. It never crash landed in his wrecked abode.

"A-Amazing," He smiled inwardly, almost forgetting to breathe, "I'm s-so lucky t-to have a friend as incredible a-as you. It j-just goes t-to show how far I'll n-never be able to g-g-go."

Each and every Naruko frowned.

"But…" He tightened his grip around his kunai, "you w-would be disappointed i-if you think I'll just hang my h-head in defeat." Why? Why would he say something so stupid? Was he _trying_ to permanently lose a leg?! Was it because of the regulations; that it was just a sparring session, that he seemed so confident and fearless? That losing a leg seemed _profane_ in a situation like this? That it was his best friend he was taking on? That she wouldn't do such a thing to him? Maybe. Maybe those were the reasons he was attempting to fit the shoes he was forcing himself in.

He hoped not. That would really be pathetic of him, to not have had the guts to picture an actual life and death situation instead of relaxing and going with the flow just because he was on Training Ground Three. Like he needed a pacifier before he could fit on the big boy pants even now. It would be ridiculous to think so at this point, given the distance they were going despite it ever being a sparring match in the first place.

Wasn't his blood and scars enough proof that this was legit, and that Naruko wouldn't just stop just because she was afraid to scare the living urine out of him? It had to be. It just had to.

"_He's insane." _Sasuku murmured with disbelief. Even facing such a quantity of Narukos herself had made her feel a pit of dread and regret. So why was Ken not shaken up by it? _Was_ he though, and maybe his speech was just a façade to hide it? Either way, his prospect in continuing had finally crossed the line of senselessness, if it hadn't already. She was going to tell Ken-kun to halt his so called brave act, and call it quits before he actually forced Naruko's hand too far. After all, it didn't end up pretty for Sasuku, so she couldn't begin to imagine how it might end up for him. Unfortunately, Naruko had beat her to the punch.

"Hey Ken-kun?" One of the clones called.

Ken didn't reply, but he didn't need to.

"You are fighting for my approval, right? To not waste my time and actually push me to a sweat, right?"

"…"

"If you still can't figure it out, then I guess I have to spell it out for you instead." She said, before another picked up where that one left off. "The truth is, you don't need to continue with this, because you've already gotten my approval, Kenny. As soon as you showed your never-give-up attitude, that was when your goal had been completed, maybe even earlier than that. You don't need to fight anymore, because you already pushed me to boundaries others hadn't before."

Ken let out a chuckle, shaking his head. "Liar."

"I'm not lying." The clones furrowed all together. "To prove my point, this was exactly where I had to kick Sasuku's ass last time." A few clones sent smirks toward the grunting Uchiha. "And not only because I wanted to beat the idea of not messing with you anymore into her damn head, but because I was at a loss of options. Strategies. I was losing ground with what I could still fire at her."

Ken's eyes widened a bit at this, but stayed quiet.

"So what does _this _mean for you, Kenny? Why did I summon so many clones, eh? Take a guess."

"Because…" He breathed through his nose, his dry lungs had been finally given enough oxygen, "b-because you're r-running out of options…?"

"Exactly." One said, yet all smiled proudly.

"But…" He bit his lip in denial, "but th-that doesn't make a-any sense. How could I have d-done that to you? How could s-someone like _me, _an ordinary v-villager,get y-you, a talented Genin, in s-such a compromised p-position? I couldn't. I _cannot_. Y-You must be t-trying to pat me on th-the back just to g-give my ego a boost."

The clones had frowned once more. "Tayamaru Kenjo," One started annoyingly, his full name being uttered so sternly, giving him a sense of unease, "why is it so difficult for you to take my words at heart?"

"Do you think I would joke like this?" Another one questioned.

"How long have we known each other?" One in the frontline asked.

"How many times am I expected to tell you something for you to finally accept it?"

"I…" Ken looked down with guilt, "it's not l-like I don't want to b-believe you, it's just… it's j-just hard to believe _anything_ I do i-in life to be a success…"

"And why's that?" One from behind crossed their arms.

"Because of what you're expected from others?"

"Because of what you are?"

"Because of who you are?"

"News flash, Ken," The front spoke, "their opinions doesn't matter– _no one's _opinion does. Not even mine. If there's anyone's opinion you should consider, it's yours." Each clone in unison raised a finger to their head. "And not the opinion that was influenced by others," then their hands rested on their chests, almost surreal by their timing, "but the opinion from here. The one that will always be true to form, no matter how many words enter your ears."

The boy's eyelids downcasted themselves half way. "Naruko…"

Each of them waited patiently for their BFF to proceed.

"You're just t-too much, aren't ya?"

Naruko said nothing. She only stared at him for an actual response instead of a evasive one.

Then, after a while, metal fell soundly against grass. His kunai was dropped.

"Fine." He breathed heavily through his nose, savoring the fresh air as much as possible. "I withdraw."

And with that, Ken's legs finally caved in, thudding unconsciously.

-Empty-

Recess was as normal as could be. No excessive arguments were stirred up. No frowns were displayed. Everything was fine. Everyone was chilling and enjoying themselves.

Wham!

Gasp!

Heads snapped to the sudden controversy before them.

"Gah!" A male child backpedaled, holding on his poor nose.

It was leaking, horribly.

He growled, deadly eyes fixating on the pair of black orbs before him. "Why you little–" He tried punching her, but she simply leaned to the side, his arm shooting passed her.

Oof!

In a blink of an eye, her knee found his gut, only for said gut to retaliate along with it's owner. "Urgh…" His legs trembled in pain, arms hugging his front in desperation.

He looked up. Sakuri stared back, blankly, yet sternly.

Her expression hadn't changed yet, her composure calm and collected. "Not so smart now, huh?"

The boy grunted, looking back at his friends for support. "Don't just stand there; take her down!"

"R-Right!"

As soon as they came close enough however, they were at his sides as well, groaning in pain. She had swiftly taken care of his goonies.

"That's it." He stood up straight, taking out a kunai. "You're dead, you Uchiha brat!"

He aimed for the side of her neck, but she ducked without any effort. Snarling, the boy tried again, and again, and again.

Swing. Swing. Swing!

Miss. Miss. Miss.

"D-Damn it!" He tightened his grip on his weapon, "stay still already!" He aimed once more, but Sakuri simply kicked it out of his hand, sending it dangerously up in the air. Before he knew it though, the girl twirled speedily around his presence, grabbing his arm and roughly pinning it behind his back, catching the falling object from above so easily as if she had done it countless times.

He blinked rapidly. He was cornered, held from behind, threatened by the throat with his own tool. "Ah…" He repeated incoherently, not able to understand what was happening.

Everyone wasn't sure either. How did this situation come to be in the first place? Why was one of them– students of the Academy– close to death so suddenly?

What was going on!?

"Hmph." Sakuri sounded with annoyance. "As I thought, using ninjutsu on you would just be a waste of precious chakra." She kicked him from behind, ending him on his hands and knees, nonchalantly tossing the kunai next to him. "I guess all that was needed was courage and nothing more."

"Sakuri-chan!" She turned boringly at the interjection. Iruka-sensei stared back with shock. Then that shock turned into disappointing anger. "You're coming with me."

"Sure." She walked past him. "Anywhere away from this jerk."

"Sakuri…" He sighed, seeing the girl make her way to the Academy's doors. 'What has gotten into her lately?'

All the while, a certain neko character watched idly from the sidelines, eyes fixated on the leaving child.

-Empty-

"Ow!"

"Hold still, 'ttebayo."

"Not so r-rough."

"I'm being as gentle as I can, silly."

Ken sighed. Man, he just had to destroy himself by continuing, didn't he? "Sorry."

"For what?" She reworked the tissue for more alcohol.

"For c-complaining."

"It's to be expected." She sighed with a smile, dampening his open wound she created on his leg… and everywhere else. "The way you pushed yourself, I would be surprised if you didn't whine like a little baby."

"Hey." He furrowed from where he sat. "It's all y-your fault, you know?"

"My fault?" She raised an eyebrow, looking up at him.

"If you w-weren't so endearing, I p-probably would've quit l-long ago." He flushed a bit, knowing what he had just said was a bit excessive. So long as it complimented the people he cared for, he wouldn't mind putting himself in such a position. Especially for his BFF.

"En… I'm, you think I'm endearing?" Her cheeks burned as saturated as her blonde locks.

"Duh." He rolled his eyes, despite how nervous he felt. "You always have b-been…"

…

Gosh, why wasn't she saving them from this awkward silence? Was _he_ expected to? His friend would usually laugh or rebuttal with a compliment of her own, or at least change the subject before the atmosphere could become thick. He stole a glance at her. She was looking down, patching his wound. Smiling to herself. Cheeks still glowing.

Man, she really was endearing. And cute. Really cute. Especially with those whisker-like marks on her face. He knew she was a beautiful seraph sent from above the moment he laid eyes on her on that rainy day years ago. But my goodness, was her presence as a whole just too much for him. If she wasn't so talented and brilliant at everything she did, then her radiating outer shell, her superlative inner self, everything else about her, would have still sold herself to him as someone any and everyone would want to become.

Maybe that was another reason he felt so inferior to her; not only because of her endless skill, but because of who she really was from inside.

It had been so long since he felt so empty before, but with her by his side, although it wasn't a consistent line of fullness, Ken was at least feeling some kind of relief in being alive.

A sine graph of emotions. He knew that pit of emptiness would never disappear, always lingering behind his mind, even with the feelings she sent down his helpless spine, but it was more than he could ask for.

Hopefully, she wouldn't abandon him any time soon, like some people he knew.

A painful tug to his heart made itself known for a brief second. Soon, Naruko made her way up to his arm. He wasn't completely aware, but when it finally caught up to him, Ken suddenly jerked his arm away from her reach.

"What's the matter?" She asked with concern. "Did I hurt you?"

"N-N-No," He hesitated, "just, my arms f-f-feel fine."

"But I need to double check if it truly is."

"No, y-you don't…" Her expression became a mixture of rejection and confusion. Maybe even something else. "Sorry, I just… I'll inform y-you if something's wrong…"

"…Okay…" Then she got back to work, ignoring his arms for the meantime.

…

"Hey, Kenny?"

"…Y-Yeah?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"It's about your dad."

Ken's smile immediately disappeared. "Wh-What about him?"

"Is he really helping you? With your chakra?"

"…" Ken stayed silent for a moment, before opening his mouth to speak. Unfortunately, that moment of silence, or maybe even the initiation of the question itself had made Naruko's big magical eyes land on his red pair. His mouth found itself closing again. For the longest of time, he had lied to her about his parental guidance, even about his parents being around, with each mentioning of it stabbing the figurative kunai even deeper into his untruthful heart. It hurt like hell just to know how disgusting his mouth could be to his best friend.

A friend he had been with since youth. A friend who had gone through so much trouble just to get him a gift for his birthday no one else remembered. A friend who never left his side despite all of the negative feedback she received just for being there.

A friend who, as far as he was concerned, would go through hell and back just to see him one last time.

And here he was, about to extend the lie he had made up all these years even further. And for what? What was the point? What was there to gain for being a disgrace all around? Why would he do such a thing to someone who deserved so much more?

No more. No fucking more.

He wasn't going to do it again. He wasn't going to lie to her again!

She hadn't done such a thing to him before, so why should he?

He shouldn't, that was the answer.

It was a good thing she looked up at him with those heart warming eyes of hers, otherwise he might have done something awful to her again!

"No, no he's n-not."

Naruko frowned at this.

"Is it because you just don't have moldable chakra?"

"I…" He sighed deeply. "I'm almost c-certain about that fact. But th-that's not why he isn't t-training me."

"Why then?"

"Because he j-just isn't around to do such a-a thing."

Naruko's eyes widened exponentially.

"Wha… what do you mean? Did something happen to him?"

"I don't kn-know." Ken shook his head. "Because he n-never was around in the f-first place."

"Wha…?" Naruko uttered with confusion. "But, I thought you were living with him…"

"I never was." He looked to his side, not daring to look at her in the eyes. "I lied. H-He never was around me from d-day one. My mother as w-well, wherever they are. I-I was an orphan since birth. I never h-had anyone to care for me. E-Everyone hated– _hates _me for some r-reason. I had someone wh-who once did care," His dazed eyes became accompanied by a small reminiscing smile, but it fell away as quickly as it came, "but she t-too despised me in the end. I thought I w-was in purgatory or something; a-an endless cycle of misery that never ends. It wasn't until you c-came along that I-I finally had some peace in my life. Some m-meaning to it. Yet," He gulped audibly, "I still e-ended up taking you for granted. I lied t-to you. I threw y-your trust in your face."

_And that's why you deserve to die._

By now, Ken's throat was becoming clogged with emotion, hurting with each syllable. "I disappointed you, N-Naruko. I couldn't even b-be the ideal friend. I couldn't be it! I wanted to so b-badly!" He clutched his fists angrily, tears streaming uncontrollably. "I wanted so fucking b-badly! But I just c-couldn't. That's why… that's wh-why I don't deserve people l-like you, Naruko. Like Sasuku-chan. Like K-Kakashi-sensei. Like Saku-chan, like Mikoto-ch-chan! I don't, I j-just don't."

_Yes, you don't. You never will. Hang yourself. Hang yourself already! Slit your throat. Slit it! You can do it, don't be scared. They finally know how pathetic you truly are. So fucking kill yourself already! What are you waiting for!? Do it! DO IT!_

He finally made contact with her eyes, his vision too blurry to interpret her reaction. "Do you finally u-understand why I d-degrade myself? Do you finally g-get why I hate myself so much!? Cause no m-matter what I do or h-how I do it, I'll n-never be the ideal friend you g-guys deserve. Never. Never! _Never!"_

"SHUT UP!"

Birds flocked away, the sudden vibration of sound startling them from their resting place. Ken stared blindly at Naruko, his emotional tears distorting her face. He still heard her though. He still heard the anger boiling from her voice. To his ears. For his dialogue. For him.

"I don't care that you lied to me, Ken." She clenched the used tissue in her hand, her fingers becoming white as his skin. "I don't care about none of that. I don't care, Ken. So just… shut up, please? Just shut your trap."

"…"

"Have I not told you before? How many times? How many damn times am I needed to tell you that I don't care about how many negatives things that masks for who you really are. Cause I will always– _always_–be here to take it on with you. I'll keep lending you my hand as many times as needed to let all of this negativity clouding your heart go away. And not even _you _or your self-loathing will stop me!"

"…"

"I… I-I," She swallowed, her own tears beginning to leak out, "I know it must be difficult for you to let go of such mentality that has been the pillar you have been standing on for so long, and I know reassuring you won't fix the problem without your own mindset, but Kami damn it I'll be damned before I let myself cave in before it is done. Before my Kenny ever get the chance to feel what it's like to be free of those shackles."

"…"

"You're just like me, Kenny."

Ken's eyes, despite how lost they were, became wide with confusion. "Wh-Wh-What do y-you mean?"

"We have both lied to each other." She somehow smiled through falling tears at how ironic it was, her gaze still on her dampening lap.

"Y-You… lied? About wh-what?"

"About having parents myself."

Just like that, a bolt of lightning struck the green boy, his eyes never leaving Naruko's presence.

"You lied about y-your parents as well? So… so you were an o-orphan too?"

"Yeah." She said lowly.

"Why… did y-you lie?"

"I was… afraid."

"Afraid?"

"I…" She bit her trembling lip, her eyes still pouring fresh liquid. Not only because of earlier, but because of the memory of her own loneliness being exhumed. "I was rejected as a child all my life, just like you, not knowing who my parents were or why they left me alone. I was shunned for something I wasn't sure either, especially back at the Orphanage. I was really hated upon. So when I met you, it was the first time someone wasn't spiting me. It felt alien to me, and soon I came across the idea that you could not have known anything about the things I might have done to be hated for."

Ken's eyes softened painfully when he picked up the elevating sobs of his BFF. "So I thought to myself that, if I were to expect you to stay my friend, as someone who seemed oblivious to any wrong that I've done, then I had to distance myself from my past as much as possible, so you wouldn't become suspicious and ask anyone about it. So I made up a backstory for compensation. It was fruitless to do though, since anywhere we went, people showed their hate regardless. But when such an aspect finally came to mind, I just couldn't tell you the truth, knowing you might leave me because of how much of a liar I was."

She looked up with teary eyes, her own vision becoming distorted as well. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, Ken. I shouldn't have said such things in the first place. And just like you, I tried to reimburse my disloyalty by attempting to be a symbol of trust and devotion despite what I've done."

"Naruko…" He said lowly, putting a hand on her trembling shoulder, "I didn't kn-know you felt so, and for s-so long no less. I should…" He sighed, looking down with shame, "I should have n-noticed it earlier. I should have d-done something to m-make you feel better instead o-of overlooking the problem."

"No," She wiped her eyes with a sleeve, "you couldn't have known. It was my fault for being so introverted. But at least now we know we both have been wrong."

"Yeah…" He gave her a small smile. "We really are i-idiots, huh?"

"Heh," She chuckled a bit, "I think my idiocy Sasuku-teme kept mentioning had rubbed itself on you."

"Yup." He gave her a playful shove. "Next time, w-watch where you spread your g-germs, k?"

"Okay." She chirped childishly, sorrow being left behind. "I'll try to be more careful next time, daddy."

"Good." They laughed at their antics, even the two eavesdroppers nearby let out a chuckle of their own.

When the joy died out from their mouths, Ken reached out and rubbed a lone tear from Naruko's whisker cheek, causing the girl to smile wider with a flustered expression.

"Let's be o-open from now on, k?"

"Hai, daddy."

"Naruko," He rolled his eyes, "the joke's l-long over."

She cocked her head to the side cutely. "What joke, daddy?"

He sighed, only to laugh a bit along with her.

"But seriously, you're right," She settled down, leaning a bit closer to him, "no more secrets from now on, 'ttebayo." She raised her pinky to him.

Ken smiled fondly at it, hugging it with his own. "Yeah."

-Empty-

Here we go again. Man, she could swear each day's break was becoming shorter and shorter than the last. Or maybe her administration was just becoming longer and longer. I mean, it was the same time period as always. Same torturous time period as always. Yet, Yugao felt a suspicious tingle that her shifts were becoming more consciously painful as her age increased. Oh well, she supposed it was better than doing nothing, waiting for the green flag for exterior assignments.

Sighing, Yugao decided to make herself comfortable in the tree near the Uchiha residence, watching the expected children gather like ants in an anthill. Well, there were only four ants, with a recent one being added a day before, but it still felt like a freakin colony of them the way the days stretch it out to be.

Damn, she really needed to sleep more. I mean, it wasn't because of less time given to herself, and with how monotonous her long-term mission currently was, she could even take the risk and nap right now as we speak. So it wasn't how long she slept, but probably how effective it was.

Again, her past became shit ever since Hayate passed on, so her dreaming since then never had been sunshine and rainbows. That alone could be the problem why her fatigue kept nagging over her shoulder, wanting something like a spoilt child. Nevertheless, she was an Anbu, or she supposed a busy person in general, so slowing down was like a haunted house for even the strong willed. You just wouldn't want to be there, no matter what.

Her eyes refocused on the returners. Look at them, so naïve. If only they actually knew what they were getting themselves into by wearing those headbands. If only their young hearts could be able to steel themselves for the evident horrors awaiting them through those village gates. If only–

Wait, why was she only counting two? I mean, she knew the young Uchiha was back, since the Academy always ended long before Genin finally got to pack their bags for home, so there should be three coming her way, right? Was she hallucinating? If so, wouldn't an issue such as that multiply unfortunate objects in one's vision? Yeah, she couldn't be seeing things. Rubbing her eyes unprofessionally, her double checking had the same result. One of them were missing… Hopefully it was just the Uzumaki, or even the older sibling of the Uchiha. That kid better not have–

Oh crud. Really? Not again! That damn boy! He wasn't rounded up again!? He was doing this on purpose, right? Didn't he know how difficult he made it for her when he scurries off from the rendezvous after a day's work? Wasn't she told Fang and Uchiha-san had agreed with the same plan ever since that one meeting from the council? For that Kenjo kid to stay near the residence, especially with the youngest Uchiha child so that her life would become easier in comparison to running around with two separated targets!?

"_Urgh!"_ She sighed lowly, getting a move on to switch 'stalked' targets. Man, she knew everyone despised him because of past matters, and despite that, she never really hated him for something that seemed out of his hands' grip, but dammit, was her anger rising for that specific Genin. 'Don't tell me you're going to be playing hide and seek like previous times, kid. I'm _really_ not in the mood for your crap!'

-Empty-

"Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh!" A certain neko minor panicked, though her constant squealing seemed more full of exciting impatience rather than nervous fear. Oh heck, she was feeling all of those things, and surely there were more colors mixed in her paint box of emotions. Her heart was sweating for her, her exterior sweat instead being the personification of her ideas. Ideas that were flying out of herself, unable to stay in long enough for her to fully evaluate them.

Ideas… on what she had to wear for her special afternoon with her handsome hubby.

Special, cause this was the first time they were actually going to be hanging out. Their first romantic date! Gosh, her breath was becoming heavy and lost in her thickened throat. Does anyone have an asthma pump or something!? She was about to faint before she would even make up her mind on her style of clothing.

_Relax, jeez. I mean, it's not like it's a life and death situation._

"How dare you." She furrowed angrily at the wall, yet her eyes were actually not redirecting her disgust. "Of course this is! My lovely handsome teddy bear will be here any minute and all you can say is reassurance instead of helping me with what I need to wear for high impression."

_You're right. This is our– my– your–_

"I get it." Mimiru sighed exasperatingly. "Just speak your mind. I mean, it's not like I have the power to strangle you or anything. Just don't misguide me. Upsetting my dear darling is the last thing I want to do."

_Sure. Well, since this is our first date with our gorgeous man, we have to dazzle him with something really feminine._

"I know that." The girl sighed in disappointment. "All I have however is childish fashion disasters. He will probably think our– _my _taste is lackluster. Gosh, now you're making me say it."

_Heh, we're one in the same, aren't we?_

"I suppose."

_Why not ask our mother?_

"Why our mommy? What, a dress from her wardrobe? I mean, I wouldn't mind swimming in his melodic laughter, but I don't think he would find laughing at our overly sized clothing… passable for my age. Besides, not only would I embarrass myself, which I wouldn't mind for my lovely minty cupcake's sake, but we would be attracting attention to his taste in women who can't even find a proper dress to wear, and that would surely embarrass my beautiful dove. I just…" She shook her head rapidly, a flush of depressed self-loathing on her cheeks, "O-Oh no, I just couldn't live with myself if we did that to my dazzling soul mate."

_I'm not saying we should wear _her _clothes, you goof! I'm saying to ask her to make us one._

"Wh-What? Right _now?"_

…_You're right. Let's not ask her. But I think it's at least a good idea to mention what and where we're going to go for the day._

"Yeah, I guess you're right with that one." She gave her closet one last look. "But what are we going to do my outfit for the date?"

_I mean, it's impossible to be perfectly dressed for our love with the clothes you have, but we should at least choose the best one amongst those… things._

"Hey!" Mimiru pouted, but sighed in defeat. "I mean, I understand where you're coming from with that."

_So long as you know how much your closet needs a makeover._

"Okay," Mimiru looked sternly at the enclosed wardrobe, taking firm steps. "Let's dig in, for Kennii-chan."

_For Kennii-chan._

-Empty-

"I'm home." Sakura sighed, completely spent… again, her foot, as usual, gently kicked the front door closed.

"Welcome back, Sakura." Mebuki said near the girl, tentatively taking care of the flowers on display. After all, first impressions were important if you're expected to sell some delightful blossoms from your Flower Shop. "How was your day with your team?"

"Exhausting, as always." She gave the woman a tired peck on the cheek, before flopping on the couch that was coaxing her to it with a finger. "How was the appointing?"

"Exhausting, as always." She giggled at her borrowing quote, giving her pink daughter no other choice but to chuckle along. "If you are in the mood for a snack, you can have some mushi-pan from the counter in the kitchen. I accidently made too many yesterday, so you can have a few. And no, I didn't leave them out in the open, they were safely tucked away and wrapped for later."

"I wasn't going to question their condition, mom." Sakura glanced at the woman offensively.

"My bad," She giggled some more, "just making sure, honey."

"…Is Mimiru back?"

"Yes. The Academy's schedule usually ends earlier than Genin work." Mebuki turned her head to give the girl a questioning smirk. "Why? Were you worried about your imouto that much?"

"N-No." She looked to her right, meeting the kitchen's attendance and averting away from her mother. "I mean, there's nothing wrong with being worried, mom."

"Of course there isn't." She smiled sadly. "It's just that, for a long time you guys barely hung out anymore, despite living under the same roof as the other. It made me sad to know such a thing, so it made me really happy to see you pick up where your relationship last left off. Recently though, you guys haven't talked to each other again, which seems like a normal up and down thing siblings always experience. Even still, it doesn't give me any relief to know your relationship is unbalanced."

"Mom…" Sakura sighed, knowing exactly how she was feeling. After all, she was the instigator, correct? But as she said to herself before, if there was ever going to be a solution to this hell hole between the two, then it would be patience. Patience she lacked to put in the hole in the first place. "Don't worry, mom," She smiled as confident as she could, "I'm sure things will heal sooner or later, and when it does, I'll make sure it won't bleed out again. Ever."

"Honey," Mebuki elicited a hopeful smile to her daught–

There was a couple of sudden knocks at the front door, earning a momentary stare from the duo before Mebuki made to open it up.

"Yes?" Gasping, Mebuki nearly double took at who she saw.

Ken made to smile kindly, but it ended up being one of sheepishness due to the reaction from the woman in front of him. "Konnichiwa, ma'am." He bowed respectfully, the woman's eyes following him as he did so.

"U-Urm… konnichiwa…" She said, unsure of herself.

Sakura was shocked as well, her eyes fixated intensively on the boy a ways from her. Kenjo? What was he doing here?

"May I… help you, young man…?"

"Oh." He stood up straight, realizing he hadn't explained his reason for being here. I mean, he expected the woman to know already. Was she not informed by Mimi-chan yet? With all of the excitement the girl had produced yesterday, the green boy thought for sure the cute neko would be spilling the beans with hype, or at least to be more open on where she might be going.

And who she was hanging out with.

Then, it finally dawned on him. _Who_ she was going to hang out with. The boy everyone hated with all their guts. If she were to tell on them, things might have not ended well for none of them. Suddenly, this plan to pick her up from her abode was turning sour.

Very sour.

As in 'throw the damn thing away before it somehow infects everything else' sour.

Mebuki's eyes kept staring at him, with mixed emotions. Some of them had already met his gaze before. Constant fear. Reminiscing dread.

Well, screw him backwards, cause he just ruined a perfectly adorable child's day.

Like everyone seemed to expect him to.

Somehow, he opened his mouth for words, although it was a stuttering exposition, Ken still attempted to find his voice that was buried somewhere in his diaphragm.

"Kennii-chan!"

Eyes from different directions met the pair of sparking delights that were a rushing neko's orbs, her being jolting down like the building was about to explode, somehow able to keep her balance on the slightly creaking staircase, and plunged herself deep in the torso of her beloved darling, shocking her family with an unpleasant electric current. Well, the voltage ended down her mother's spine more than Sakura's, though it still surprised the pink-haired to see her sister's open mindedness of the situation nonetheless.

"A-Ah…!" Ken attempted compressed a cry of pain, thankfully causing it to appear as surprise than hurt, the impact colliding with sore parts of his figure. He wasn't healed completely, obviously, but being here for his little friend was ample enough of a reason to ignore his body's needs.

"Gosh, you came earlier than I thought." Mimiru's voice was muffled by the fabric she was swimming her whiffing nose into, but they still heard her.

Gosh, she missed his fragrance.

_Oh Kami…_

Mimiru could practically hear the gulp her inside voice let out. The delightful scent was probably invading her thoughts as well. Wow, how _powerful_. I mean, he smelled the same as always, with the typical odor of hard work mixing itself in there as well, but that just made it even better. Weird though, cause with each intake of his exotic aroma, her young mind was swarming with heart-shaped particles. Particles that were threatening to flood her defenseless mind to the point of undivided fixation for his 'everything', shoving everything else she knew up until now to the side like unwanted garbage.

Her own name was even becoming a mystery to the love struck minor.

_Th-This… this is too much…_

'I know,' Her smile grew dreamily, 'and I love it.' She barely heard the soothing tune of his magnificent voice.

"H-Hey there, Mimi-chan." He chuckled nervously, embracing her tightened presence, earning a wheezing squeal from the eight year old. If he didn't know any better, then he would've assumed Mimi-chan was trying to be a lively front-pack or something, desperately clinging to their owner for usage. "Sorry about that. I-I just thought it w-would be better to b-be early than late."

"It's okay." She tilted her head up in gleeful delight. Just looking at him was sending a relentless shiver down her spine, his red rubies knotting her stomach with heart melting ropes. "I honestly didn't know how much longer I would be able to withstand being separated by you anyway, so it's a relief to have you here."

Ken chuckled with a slight blush. Gosh, not only was her cuteness to die for, but her words directed to him was so encouraging and complimentary that he honestly felt more unworthy to receive it than any other praise. It was like looking at a younger version of Naruko, or even an alternate yet similar version. The blonde's 'whiskers' definitely resembled that of a felines, and with the endless swing of Mimi-chan's tail and big perking ears, it was hard to not see them in the same category as well.

"You're too m-much, Mimi-chan. Thank you."

He petted her head, and as expected her loud purring made itself known, her expression morphing from the peak of joy, to the peak of wistfulness.

_S-Stop it. This is…_

Her voice tried to say, her raspy tone clearly evident.

_I can't, I'm losing my… urgh… oh Kami, I'm gonna lose my marbles! T-Tell him to… to please… I can't… take it anymore! I… I… ah… URGH!_

It was as if her inner voice was tearing her hair off of her scalp in desperation. What was up with her thoughts lately? Her godly husband stopping his ministration was the last thing she wanted. It was really as if her voice was a different person than her. Didn't they know his touch was so… _SO FUCKING GOOD!?_

Her eyes wanted to bulge with shock, but his continued contact on her head was literally driving her heart crazy! It wanted to explode with joy! It felt like stabbing itself just to die right then if it meant for her Kennii-chan to continue touching.

'Touch me…' She thought, her closed eyes beginning to roll behind her head with complete bliss. 'More, touch me more! More. _More. More!'_

"Pardon me," A voice broke his ministration, finally giving her eyes access to bulge.

_That… th-that bitch…_

'She stopped our peaceful moment…' Mimiru's eyes twitched uncontrollably, nearly digging her nails into her hubby's back. Hearing Ken-kun winch however broke her out of her trance, blinking rapidly to reality.

Wha… What just…

_F-Focus, Mimiru._

All the while, Ken's eyes met Mebuki's again, this time, a sense of anxious impatience rested in her jade green orbs.

"Could someone please explain to me what is going on here?"

"Oh right," Mimiru started, reluctantly settling down next to her soul mate. "I forgot to tell you yesterday, mommy." She leaned into her man's side, rubbing the back of his hand she was holding onto against her smooth cheek, mainly due to the need of his touch again. "This handsome angel next to me is my future hubby, Tayamaru Kenjo, and we're going to finally have our first date as a young couple in love. Isn't that wonderful?!"

…

Ken gulped, seeing a change of faces from Mebuki that couldn't have been a good sign.

Well, shit. He guessed this woman was going to substitute his neck rope for the last seconds of his life.

What a suicidal mess he had gotten himself into.

**-Empty-**

**End of Chapter.**

**Well, I think that's a nice way of ending a chapter. Well, as far as the word nice goes in a situation like that.**

**Again, thank you all for your continued support.**

**Until next time.**

**-Narurific-**


	17. It's a Date!

**Chapter 17**

**It's a Date!**

**-Empty-**

"Come again?"

Her voice drifted through the icy cold air, Mebuki's eyes never leaving the two, even going as far as to go back and forth to give both of them an equal constant stare. Ken noted that the air itself wasn't really cold– as far as his skin could tell– the sun was probably making sure of that, but with the position he was in, it might as well be. You would be asking too much of him if you expected him to be feel even the inkliest of ease. His own eyes not daring to glance at the woman, and was roaming around awkwardly.

He knew it was inevitable, whether the woman asked his attention or not, it would surely drift to her presence sooner or later. It was anything but imperceptible. But even so, the Genin realized that his support for the cute little neko, if needed due to how things were going, was a must regardless. He couldn't let her take on the situation by herself, no matter how fine her joyful smile made it seem.

Still, you would think that with the past he had to go through, all of the negative mishaps, and nervous approaches he had to deal with, Ken-kun would be more used to these sorts of predicaments. He thought so too, but alas, things were never able to go his way, no matter how long the contentment he experienced with his team were. Life was just so generous enough to kick him to the curb.

Thanks Life, he really owed you one.

"We're going on our first date." Mimiru clung onto her handsome hunk's hand, for emphasis rather than defiance, her smile shrinking a bit from her high of excitement, although her soul was still flaring with love galore.

Sakura's jaw was unable to close at this point, more blown away by what was going on than Mimiru's proposal. Sure, her date, as how the little neko described it, was an ice breaker, but who she was reflecting it upon, including her calm composure, as calm as her excitement was allowing herself to be, was like the grandfather of all ice pickers.

She could only imagine what kind of face her mother was making in front of her, her reaction yet to be told. 'My Kami Mimiru, what have you gotten yourself into?'

Everyone awaited for Mebuki to respond, the questionable silence seeming to not be any good of a sign. Ken wasn't eyeing her, well not until now, his eyes unable to take the thick air any longer. Her face seemed… unreadable though. It was probably a façade for the assumed battle that was partaking inside the woman's mind. A fight between 'approaches'. If that truly was the case, and if there was somehow an approved approach inside that dust cloud of punches and kicks, then he could only hope against all hope that said approach would prevail.

For his sake, and Mimi-chan's.

"You… with… him…" Mebuki stole a glance at Kenjo. It took several seconds more for the mother of two to finally take a deep, long breath for composure, letting go of a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. "Honey…" Her frown attempted a smile, but it came out as an abnormal twitch, her hands clenching into uncontrollable fists.

Ken gulped internally, he caught all of those signs due to intense paranoia. They couldn't be good.

"You… realize you're too young to date though, right?"

Her voice was raspy, her eyes emitting an ominous glare despite the calmness her battling contentment was displaying.

Mimiru merely giggled adoringly. "Oh mommy, you're so silly sometimes. When it comes to true love," She gave her husband's sweaty hand a gentle squeeze. The Genin wasn't sure if it was a sign of reassurance or utter commitment, "age doesn't matter at all. Isn't that right, honey?"

Ken looked down at her starring smile, her tail sneakily snaking it's way around the diameter of his pant leg, embracing his limb affectionately. Despite the situation at hand, he just couldn't help but smile back, the joy in her close-eyed smile contagious as all hell.

How could he deny such a person like Mimi-chan?

He just couldn't, just like how he couldn't deny that this was a 'date' they were going to be on, despite his view saying otherwise.

Still though, how could she be doing this to him at a time like this!?

Both questions swarmed around his head, each having it's own response. This was like walking across a minefield. You had to be _extra _careful not to trigger the mines that was Haruno-sama's single button. Then again, how could one _not_ when it was a _freakin minefield!_

It felt like no matter what he was going to say, his ass was going to be wasted.

And badly.

Just being there was probably ticking down the time bomb that was Haruno-sama's Paper Bomb-like temper.

"I-I…" He hesitated, his mind not even made up yet. Though Mimi-chan's constant joy was the answer he was seeking all along. "Yeah… I suppose…"

'"I suppose". Great, what a save, bro. The conflicted woman before you will have no choice but to agree. Ten points all around. _Sigh__…_'

Again, he wasn't looking, but Ken could easily depict the woman gritting her teeth for comfort.

_Nice job. So long as you die, no one else has to suffer anymore._

'Shut up.' Ken clutched his eyes with annoyance.

"Honey," The warning in Mebuki's voice was evident, "I… you shouldn't, I mean… well…" Why was it so difficult to say?

Mimiru merely cocked her head to the side, ignorant of the conflict inside her mommy's mind. "What's wrong, mommy? I shouldn't what?"

"You shouldn't…" Mebuki hesitated, trying to control herself as best she could. "You… couldn't tell me about this sooner?"

Mimiru frowned. "I'm sorry, mommy. I was planning to, but I was so busy with Academic notes that it kind of slipped my mind." She tried laughing it off with a sheepish chuckle, but her mother ignored her.

"That's another thing. Are you not suppose to study for your upcoming exams?" Now it felt like she was just trying to find an excuse to not do what she had decided to recklessly do in front of her daughter. If her Mimiru wasn't right here, then she would've–

No, no, calm down. Let's not start that yet. It might be avoidable if she just stick to a reasonable number of excuses instead. Yeah, then her Mimiru would have no other choice, right?

"There's no need." Her joyful smile returned. "I studied so much yesterday that I can practically recite it all by myself without any hesitation."

"Was that why you stayed in your room all day yesterday?"

"Ah hah." She bobbed her head up and down.

Mebuki would've continued to deny her, but her daughter's smile was so irresistible.

"Besides," The little neko continued, wrapping her arms around her beloved cutie's, "if I ever lose track on something important, I'll ask for my husband's help along the way. He _is _a graduate after all."

"Honey…" Damn it, Mimiru wasn't making this easy for her. She glanced back at Kenjo, only to avert when her mind realized who her vision took in. Her head was throbbing like crazy, her heart pounding unnervingly. Kami, how did this day turn upside down so quickly, so suddenly? This was not going to end well, judging by her daughter's contradicting excitement.

Maybe her daughter was being forced to act out such an attitude? Maybe she was being mind controlled? It always could be a possibility. Especially when… _he_ was involved. Yeah, that had to be it.

If so, then there was only one way to settle this–

"Mom."

Mebuki's head shot up, turned and eyed her eldest daughter who was approaching the three.

"Wh-What is it, Sakura?"

Sakura took a deep breath, before uttering a small smile. "It's okay."

"What?"

"It's okay." She repeated, giving the two before them a glance. "Kenjo will take good care of Mimiru on their date. He's really trustworthy."

"I…" Mebuki trailed off, shocked beyond all doubt.

"I've been in the same class as he was back at the Academy, so trust me when I say both of them will be fine."

"…" Their mother didn't even know what was happening anymore. She was dreaming, right? This was all just a bad dream, right? Right?! Please tell her it was, and that she'd be waking up any second now. Please. Please tell her that! Please. _Please_…

She looked back at the duo, her mouth unable to close by itself any longer. "…" She glanced at Mimiru, who just smiled even more reassuringly. "…Okay. You two can go and… enjoy yourselves."

'What in blazes am I doing!?'

"Thanks, mommy." Mimiru chirped happily.

"Thank y-you for your permission, Haruno-sama." Ken bowed respectfully through his relaxed nerves.

"Yes… permission…" Mebuki trailed off almost mindlessly. "Have fun on your… date…"

"Don't worry, we will!" Mimiru waved from her retreating self, her other hand never leaving her Kennii-chan's for the entirety of the situation.

Mebuki flashed an empty smile, and once the orange-haired woman closed the door, she turned absent-mindedly, her unreadable look ending on Sakura without her knowledge.

Her daughter nervously fidgeted under her parent's gaze, but was surprised to see her turn to continue to address her flowers in silence. An action she had been in the middle of right before… _that_ happened.

Sakura was going to attempt a reply for her mother's questioning of the kunoichi's impromptu intervention, but since she didn't ask anything, not even uttered a word, Sakura supposed it would only be natural if she asked it for herself.

'What the hell did I just do!?'

-Empty-

It wasn't the first time disappointment slapped her in the face, but _this _time, Sasuku really felt the sting of the force. Disappointment. She never thought such a feeling would be more intense than it's basis, that it would ever be intense in the first place. But here she was, feeling how it could take someone by surprise and make them wonder of the 'what ifs' and 'could haves.'

Naruko, who walked on the left side of the girl whose emo-self was dying steadily, if not buried long time ago, had noticed the troubled expression upon her face for a while now. "Hey."

Sasuku glanced at the blonde.

"You'll get your chance to be beaten by Kenny soon, 'k? Just give him time to rest."

"Yeah…" Sasuku sighed, overlooking how easily readable she was, "no thanks to you though."

"Hey." Naruko furrowed.

"You went too far, Naruko." She simply stated, almost nonchalantly, staring at the path before them. Almost, since the only emotion she was feeling was anger.

"I couldn't help it."

"Yes, you could have." She shot a glare. "Sure, Ken-kun is an exceptional villager, but we all knew our levels were profoundly above his. Yet you still took the liberty to beat the living crap out of him. I mean, I probably would've if you didn't, just to beat some sense into his stubborn ass, but I wouldn't go as far as almost crippling him for life."

"…"

After a moment of silence, Sasuku decided to give Naruko her gaze once more, seeing the downcasted look on her face. "You're right." Naruko sighed, her tone full of regret. "I should not have let him induce me so easily. I should've just surrendered if everything else had failed. I'm such an idiot."

"Yes, you are an idiot."

…

"But you are an idiot with a big heart."

Naruko looked up from her slouching form, surprised.

Sasuku didn't dare look at her, rather looking forward as she always had. "You knew giving up or going easy on him would just cut his ego down a notch, maybe even ruin any hope he had on taking on anyone else in the future, since not even his close friend would take him serious enough. We all knew that, hell, he probably knew that we knew as well, based off how in-depth his mind could go. So everyone understood how tied up your hands were during that juncture, not to mention how important your first sparring session with him was meant to be."

"Sasuku…"

"That doesn't mean I like the results." The Uchiha backpedaled as quickly as she could. "Just try to be more considerate with him next time, okay? And if he doesn't listen, knock him out instead."

"That's the thing." Naruko chuckled sheepishly. "I was trying to for almost the entire time but he just wouldn't stay still or down long enough for the match to end."

Sasuku chuckled as well, remembering how persistent the boy was. "Yeah. He can really take you by surprise if he really wants to."

"Indeed." Naruko sighed with a shake of her head. "What a knucklehead, am I right?"

"A cute knucklehead."

…

Sasuku stopped and looked back at the halted blonde. Her eyebrow raised curiously until it finally hit her, a crimson red burning it's way on her face. "I-I didn't mean that! What I meant to say was he's an idiot! Yeah, a baka knucklehead."

She gulped, the mischievous smile of Naruko giving her an uncomfortable chill. "Sure, that was what you meant, cause kawaii is not too far from baka at all."

"Wh-Whatever, idiot." Sasuku turned her back to her, stomping hurriedly forward. "Let's just go already."

"Right behind you, _cutie_."

"Shut up!"

-Empty-

"That was close." Ken sighed, directionless with his moving feet.

"Silly," Mimiru giggled cutely, her tail still swaying from side-to-side. "You say it as if we were in trouble."

"We were." He frowned at her ignorance. "Your m-mother seemed like she was g-going to strangle me."

The young neko merely giggled her cute tune. "You're so funny, hubby. My mommy wouldn't do such a thing."

_And besides, if she were to, then she'd probably be dead by now._

'Yup.'

Ken noticed the silence of his company, so he decided to change the subject, or at least compliment her.

"I l-like your outfit, Mimi-chan."

"Really?" Her ears perked up, her cheeks becoming hot as before.

"Yeah." He gave it an observant glance. The fabric of the buttoned up, sleeveless maroon shirt wasn't expensive or anything, as far as his knowledge went with material, but it somehow captured the bright personality she had from within. His eyes traced to the dove white short-sleeved undershirt of her taste in appearance, which matched nicely with the garment above it. Her blue frilliness that was her skirt hung loosely around her waist, it's mid-thigh appearance somehow sparkling with captivation.

He wasn't really a good judge with clothing, but that didn't mean Ken was a tasteless idiot. Although he was nearly as easily impressed with anything his eyes came face-to-face, he could still admire something that had good quality to it. Again, he doubted her outfit was the best in the world, but to him, it fitted perfectly with Mimi-chan as a whole.

Especially the little yet important details of her outfit, such as the bow-like wristbands above her palms that's khaki saturation greatly brought out her jade green eyes.

"It suits you well, M-Mimi-chan."

"Oh," She looked away, placing a caring hand that wasn't holding his on her burning cheek, "you're just saying that."

"No, I'm not." He shook his head. "I bet g-girls around the world would envy you i-if they had a g-glimpse of how c-cute you look right now."

A sudden smoke escaped her big perky ears, the familiar whistle going off in the background.

_Gosh, his words are driving me crazy._

'You're the one to talk.' Mimi-chan smiled giddily, suddenly decided to lean herself against his presence. "A-Arigatou, Kennii-chan."

Ken chuckled comfortingly, patting her warm head. "You're welcome, M-Mimi-chan. But are you o-okay though? Your head seems r-really warm."

"I-I'm fine." She quickly reassured, the front of her hanging head hidden from his vision. She was literally going to die with how fast her heart was drumming, her furry tail happily behaving like a never-ending pendulum. "Anyway, where should we go to first, Kennii-chan?" Mimiru chirped after she realized they were a ways away from her home, eyes from different directions observing them suspiciously.

What was the _monster _doing with such a young and innocent child!?

Should we report this?

I just wanna have him buried alive as soon as possible.

"Don't r-really know." He said lamely, realizing how poorly thoughtful he was with their time together. Damn it, there goes the moment of taking charge on their 'date'. Really now, he knew it wasn't an actual date and just two friends hanging out, and he would have just suggested a spot to do so like he did with Naruko, which always ended up at Ichiraku Ramen by the way, but with the phrase constantly being uttered out of her small cute lips, it was difficult _not _to envision their time as such. With a mind sight like that, it was technically impossible to, again, _not_ shrug it off as just a simple 'go where the day takes us' matter.

Kami, he _really_ should've thought this through.

"I'm game w-with anything you're u-up for."

"Okay." Mimiru chirped lively, seeming to be okay with taking the initiative. She put on her thinking cap, which consisted of big wondering eyes and a thoughtful finger meeting round chin, and began thinking of ways to enjoy their time together. 'Honestly, I'm just glad I'm finally able to be around my hunky teddy bear with no interruptions, so I wouldn't mind just sitting on a bench with my hubby and soak in the warm enjoyment of the afternoon sun, with his generous hand caressing my head like always.'

_Wow, look at you. All wordy and such._

'Heh, thanks. I guess only a few days of constant studying can really do wonders for someone. Or maybe it's just me.'

_Still though, not that again._

'What do you mean?'

_The rubbing our head thing. I mean, it was fine during previous times, but somehow, it's just getting more intense than ever._

'Yeah, I know what you talking about. It's the same adoring care, yet, I'm beginning to feel more, I don't know, funny and happy when hubby caresses it. Which is weird, cause I couldn't be more happier right about now.'

_So, does that mean no nurture?_

'Don't be silly.' Mimiru nearly giggled out loud. 'There's no way I'll be able to resist _anything _from my lovely merman.'

_Phew! Though I got to say, that was a new one. The Merman thing, that is._

'Thank you. Anyway, back on track. As I said before, the concept of being around my darling dove is more than I could ask for, but I don't think sitting around would be an attracting idea to him. I got to get him to smile genuinely at my suggestions, and not smile just because.'

_Yeah. He has a habit of doing that. We could watch a movie or go to a restaurant with him, but did you bring Ryo with you?_

'Oh… schnitzel.'

_*Sigh* I guess we have to rely on our hunk instead._

'But I can't do that.' Mimiru bit her lip nervously, which didn't go unnoticed by Ken. 'I would be an awful wife if I did. So unreliable, and 'picky'.'

_You might be right on that, but sometimes you have to take to give, and unfortunately, it also applies right now._

'I… but I…' Her mind was totally stumped. She had to use whatever Ryo her man had on him to keep the excitement going for his sake, but even with that being said, she couldn't find it in herself to do such a thing. I mean, it might not be 'that' big of a deal she was making it out to be, since she saw exchanges like that between others all the time, but even so, there was no way Mimiru would be able to use her angelic man like that. No way in 'H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS'!

Ken frowned at her indecisiveness. Despite how cute she was even in a delayed stop in her life, the Genin couldn't take her struggle any longer than he already was. "Hey," Her daze finally broke, big emerald gems stared back at him with wonder, her hand still holding on like it had a mind of it's own, "if you d-don't mind, I have a place w-we could get a bite to eat a-at."

"Really?" Her eyes stared intently at him, like the world would end if she didn't.

_Gosh, our man__'__s taking the initiative. *Sigh*__…_

"Yeah," He smiled earnestly, "although, it d-depends if you're willing to p-put up with ramen."

"That's fine." She gave him an earnest smile of her own. "So long as I'm with my husband, I don't really care what I eat."

Ken chuckled at her willingness, really glad he wasn't even scowled out for even suggesting ramen during their first 'date'. After all, ramen wasn't for everyone, even he knew that. "Great. Then let's g-get going then."

"We _are _going, silly." Mimiru giggled playfully, their feet still moving.

"I meant to the restau-r-rant." He rolled his eyes.

"I know." She smiled mischievously, only for both of them to chuckle along.

'Gosh, she seems as playful as Naruko. They really are similar in more ways than one, huh?' He smiled at her cheerful nature, her smile never wavering one bit. Why would it? She was finally going on a date with her one and only love! This day couldn't get any better.

-Empty-

'My word,' Sakuri tapped her foot impatiently, standing restlessly on the porch of her home, 'why do Genin take so long to get back from their daily duty? It's like they take their own time to come back!' Really now, did they not know how infuriating it was to wait so long for their return! The least they could do was hurry up!

I mean, she wouldn't mind them taking their time, so long as her sensei was back. Kami, it was like he was oblivious to her need. Her need for his presence.

Sighing for the umpteenth time, Sakuri decided to calm down with a seat on the firm wood below her. That decision had to wait though, since what met her eyes from around the corner was what she was pausing for all this time.

She inhaled deeply, her eyes sparkling with joy, her legs sprinting for a hug.

"Kennii-sen–"

Wait, why were there only two of them? And why wasn't her Kennii-sensei amongst them!? No, this couldn't be! He was out and about _again_!?

"Where's Kennii-sensei!?" Sakuri skidded to a stop before the two females, her voice impatient and filled with distress.

"Hey to you too, squirt." Sasuku said dully, only for Sakuri to narrow her eyebrows.

"I'm not in the mood, sibling."

"And I am for your attitude?" She shot back with a raised eyebrow.

Sakuri growled almost like a starving lioness, grinding her teeth for control. "Don't try to avoid the question. Now tell me where Kennii-sensei is."

"And if I don't?" Sasuku furrowed as well, Naruko feeling uncomfortable on the sidelines.

Suddenly Sakuri swung a powerful fist, but Sasuku managed to lean back through her surprise. The little girl wasn't having none of that; she swung more strikes, aiming for her sister's face. But they all missed, with the last one being caught by the older Uchiha from the wrist.

The other fist of anger came flying as well, but was caught by Sasuku's other hand. It seemed like Sakuri was cornered in that instance, but the smaller prodigy improvised with a leap of her feet.

Before Sasuku could react though, the airborne, wooden sandals of Sakuri's dropkicked her a few feet away, her grip on the child letting go from the force. Landing with a backflip, with her mid-back, silky black ponytail flopping due to the stoppage, Sakuri's feet immediately kicked up into high gear once more, but was stopped by an intervening presence.

"Stop it! Both of you!" Naruko shouted, her hands stretched out like stop signs to each of the siblings.

Sakuri wasn't having that either. "If you're not going to tell me where my Kennii-sensei is, then get out of the way, _blondie!_ Unless you want a bloody nose as well!"

Naruko glared at the little pest. "Get a grip, then _maybe _I'll consider it."

Suddenly, Sasuku zipped passed her comrade, the wind delaying behind her.

"Sasuku!"

But it was too late. Sasuku struck a forceful palm toward the youngling. Sakuri grimaced at how fast she was, but her only option was to raise her arms in defense.

It wasn't enough. As soon as the palm connected, it shot Sakuri a ways away, her body rocketing through midair, the gravity barely a concept that was affecting her altitude. Soon though it had, but fortunately Sakuri backflipped and grounded her nails and feet against the dirt, sliding for a stop.

Even with her defiance, her velocity kept going for a while, until she nearly hit an empty Uchiha household.

"You bitch." Sakuri growled menacingly, her arms stinging from the blow.

"You're the one to talk." Sasuku stood up straight. "What's wrong with you? Was violence really necessary, baka?"

"For you, yes." The girl stood up, taking out a kunai from her pouch, her sibling's eyes flashing due to the metal object.

"You're insane."

"Same goes for you."

"Alright, both of you calm down this instant." Naruko made her way between the two again. "What's wrong with you two? Fighting is not the answer here."

"She was denying Kennii-sensei's location."

"That's not a logical reason to start a fight, Sakuri." Naruko glanced at the girl. "He's going to be a bit late, so just be patient, okay?"

"Why?" Sakuri clenched her weapon of choice tighter. "Where is he?"

"Right now? We don't really know."

"He is going on a 'date'." Sasuku said nearly nonchalantly, though a sense of patronization was obviously present in her tone.

"Sasuku." Naruko groaned disapprovingly.

"A date?" Sakuri's eyes bulged with shock. Wait, her Kennii-sensei was… on a _date?_ Her eyes soon represented that of a Shinigami, her soul BURSTING with malevolence. "With whom?" She shook her head. "You know what, I don't care who they are. Tell me where Kennii-sensei is, _now_." Her voice took a wicked turn with the last word, if the atmosphere she was giving off wasn't enough already.

"We don't know, really." Naruko tried to elucidate.

"You're lying."

"I'm telling you, we–"

"You're Kennii-sensei's teammates, so you have to know these things, especially if you already know about this 'date'."

Naruko opened her mouth for a rebuttal, but Sasuku was faster.

"Get it through your head already: We don't know, okay? Besides, why should it matter to you? What Ken-kun does during his personal time has nothing to do with anyone."

"I…" Sakuri trailed off, the two oppositions not sure why she did though. Maybe because of realization? "Maybe so," She started more calmer compared to her initial anger, "but that doesn't mean I don't care, unlike _some_ people."

"We do." Sasuku pocketed her hands. "And what you're doing isn't out of care, it's out of obsession."

Sakuri glared once again. "No, it's not."

"Yes, it is." She shook her head. "Ken-kun's his own person. He doesn't need a little pipsqueak looking over his shoulder every ten seconds."

"I'm not!"

"Man," Sasuku sighed, "you really have a bad case of 'senpai, notice me', huh? You think no one noticed your clinginess on Ken-kun lately? You were so against him before, but now you can't stand the fact you're separated from him, huh?"

"I…" She trailed off again, uncertainty finally evident to everyone, even to her. "I don't… I'm not obsessed. I just, I care for Kennii-sensei, okay? That's all it is." She had to choose her words wisely. Her sister might have a point. She never expected what she felt was obsession, but even if it was, it still wasn't something she would let go of. It was the only thing she felt strongly for her sensei, a feeling of admiration. A feeling of affection.

A feeling of love.

She shut her eyes momentarily. No, She knew what she felt. It wasn't obsession. It _was_ love. _Pure_ love. A longing feel of being wanted by the only person who showed her continued support and kindness despite how impolite she was to them. She was depended of him ever since these feelings blossomed forth. He was literally her life. Without him, there's no life for her left.

He was the missing piece to her heart. He _was _the captor of her _entire_ heart.

These feelings, she knew it wasn't normal to have. For an eight year old to have. Especially for their sensei that was four years older than them. But she didn't care. This was something she wouldn't let go even if a kunai was threatened to her throat.

Screw it if it was unhealthy.

Screw it if it was unnatural.

Screw the views of society.

She was in love with her Kennii-sensei, and that was it. Full stop. No additional notes required. So when the idea of her one true love dating another 'bitch' came to mind, she just… she just couldn't accept such that idea. It was unacceptable! It just was! Plain and simple. And to show how disgusted she was from the idea, Sakuri would do anything in her power to stop this ridiculous 'reality', no matter what.

No matter what!

Then, _it _happened.

Her eyelids finally departed, her orbs full of determination.

Not black orbs.

But red.

Deep, unadulterated crimson eyes.

"S-Sakuri, wait!" Naruko reached out pointlessly through her shock of the hue, unable to find it in herself to stop the fleeing child.

"Let her be, Naruko."

"But…" She glanced at the Uchiha, disbelief written on her face, "her eyes… they were…"

"She's probably in love." Sasuku kept staring at the distancing child, her eyes somehow not betraying her own astonishment from inside.

"What?" Naruko's eyes widened, staring at her teammate like she grew a second head.

"You haven't noticed?" She stared back boringly.

"I mean, it occasionally crossed my mind a few times that she admired Kenny, but I never went as far as to accuse her of having such intimate feelings for him."

"Well, she made it pretty obvious. Besides, as far as I'm concerned, she finally unlocked her Kekkei Genkai, and the Sharingan only releases into fruition when an extreme sensation occurs from within, such as what she feels right now." The Uchiha shrugged, her hidden trouble of this whole dilemma being masked very effectively. A mixture of satisfaction and bitterness– proudly bitter.

She never enjoyed such an idea being real, ever since she heard that neko kid proclaiming her alone time with Ken-kun would be considered a 'date'. She knew it was blasphemous, and Ken-kun probably didn't feel the same way, especially after his explanation, but the envy feeling was still there. It never left her. No matter of the age, just knowing that Ken-kun had other girls having such emotions for him made it really painful to withstand. She wanted to just shrug it off as puppy love and nothing more, but she just couldn't.

Anything could happen. Ken-kun's rejecting feelings toward liking girls that age could backfire in more than one way. She knew he had morals, but morals could only take you so far. It's what you decide during specific junctures that defines who you really are.

And with her sibling having a thing for her teammate as well, things couldn't end well for someone. For anyone for that matter.

Sasuku only hoped nothing drastic would happen, especially when it would affect their own relationship. The Uchiha finally bit her lip with worry. Her feelings for him were also getting in the way of her previous view of life. Whether it was a good or bad thing, she couldn't deny he made her feel happy to be around him. To be next to him.

To be alive.

"Sasuku?"

The female in question sighed in response. "Whatever. Let's just get going. We can wait for them when they get back."

Naruko frowned sadly at the back of her comrade, feeling the troubled emotions leaking from her actions.

Giving the fleeing direction one last glance, the blonde took her friend's words to form and followed her.

-Empty-

"Ah, Ken-kun!" Teuchi smiled behind the counter, setting the last dried plate down for his service. "I see you are not with Naruko this time?" Strange though, after seeing the two finally eating together the day before, he was certain that the problem, whatever it was, had been settled, and that both friends were back as one.

To see him without her this time around made him a bit uneasy, though it still could just be as simple as Naruko running late or something. That was until he noticed a young presence next to the boy.

"Yeah. Don't worry th-though," Ken sat down on a seat, the carefree Mimi-chan taking one next to him, "she's going t-to be a bit busy with something. Today though, I-I'm being accompanied by th-this cutie." He gave Mimi-chan a kind smile, patting her head.

Her little young girl's heart skipped several beats, her face contorting from excitement into dreamy contentment, tail swinging like mad, heart driving to the next level.

_Oh no, h-he's doing it again!_

"Oh," Teuchi eyed the little girl with interest, "and what's your name, young lady?"

Mimiru managed to speak through the distracting petting of her head. "M-My name is Mimiru, sir. I'm Kennii-chan's future waifu."

"Really? Is that true, Ken-kun?" Teuchi raised an eyebrow to the sweating boy, his single, large gulp being heard from a mile away.

"W-Well, heh heh," He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head nervously. Mimi-chan just _had _to mention that, didn't she? He wondered how many others would be told this from here on out, who _had been _told this before. Haruno-sama certainly didn't seem happy about it, so he couldn't begin to imagine everyone else's reactions to such a proposal. Whether it was because she was 'going out' with a monster, or that she was actually thinking about such things even at this age in her life was irrelevant.

The important thing to note was that Ken was basically going to be screwed badly if this kept up, if he wasn't already. He should make a mental note to tell her to tone it down a bit… a lot, all the way down, "I g-guess so."

…Really?

"You guess so?" Teuchi sounded even more confused about this whole thing. He wasn't sure? Was this an act or something?

"I mean…" He gave Mimi-chan a glance, and felt his heart go 'doki doki' at how cute her sparkling eyes shone right back. Kami damn it, was there not a limit to how cute one could be? I mean, he knew she was cute, but it felt as if she had an ability to multiply her kawaii each and every time someone glanced at her.

He gulped once more, feeling the expectant eyes being laid upon him, from both sides.

There was only one way to go right now, and although he was going to regret what decision he was going to make, Ken was at a loss of refutations. As sternly as he could be, he reached out and grasped the slender hand of his friend's laying on the counter, looking deep into her blushing eyes and sparkling cheeks.

Intended mix-up for emphasis, he thought.

"Hai, yes sh-she is."

_OH MY KAMI!_

'Oh my Kami is right.' Mimiru thought, her eyes unable to break the shackles her manly angel had around them. 'It's like his taunting my emotions to burst out as much as they can. Just so darn incredible. And his touch…' Her smile deformed again to match her dreaming eyes.

"Right, well," Teuchi gave them a smile that seemed genuine, "I suppose you two do make a cute couple."

Ken nodded, really surprised, yet relieved that Teuchi was so laidback with the situation, since he always had a tendency to look on the bright side, which was really aspiring for the Genin. He doubted everyone else would have the same view point. Just look at what happened earlier with the kid's mother. But even so, was he doing the right thing? I mean, was it right to agree with such an application if he didn't even feel the same way as she might be feeling, especially if his agreement was for her benefit alone?

It felt as if he was digging his own burial, a rabbit hole he wouldn't be able to escape if he went in deep enough.

Regardless, he knew his decision would bite him back in the ass sooner or later. Hopefully he'd be prepared for the hardships that would befall upon him around the corner. One could only imagine the difficulty behind the closed curtains of this act he was putting on for Mimi-chan's smile.

_Sigh._

"Anyway, what will it be today?"

"O-Oh." Ken cleared his throat, deciding to dwell on it on a later stage. "I'll have the u-usual, please."

"One Miso Ramen then." He wrote down, then looked at the girl next to his male customer. "And for you, young lady?"

"I'll have what my hunky hubby's having, thank you."

"Two Miso coming right up."

…

"So," Ken started awkwardly, his eyes trailing to her jade ones, "how's the Academy? Are y-you making friends back there?"

"Yeah." She smiled cutely. "Everyone's so nice there, it makes me really wonder if I even deserve such kindness."

"Don't be silly, M-Mimi-chan," He smiled reassuringly, "of course you d-do. I mean, what person w-wouldn't like someone as cute as you?" He booped her nose playfully, earning a large grin in response, her cheeks reminiscing with the familiar burning sensation.

"S-Stop it, darling," She looked away, both hands covering her embarrassed expression, "you're just too much."

"Anyway," He chuckled, "I hope y-you've been studying though. I know you said you h-have, but I would hate t-to think I dragged you a-away from your Academic revision."

"No need to fret, darling," She shot him a wide smile, "I'm going to ace those tests, and it's all thanks to Kennii-chan."

"What?" He smiled amusingly. "I did absolutely n-nothing. How could I be the reason f-for your future accomplishments?"

"It's because you motivate me, silly." She settled down from her exciting hype from the thought of becoming a ninja along with her incredible stud. "Each time I feel down and unable to go on, just picturing Kennii-chan in my head makes me feel like I can do anything that I put my mind to."

"That's…" Ken was unsure of how to respond to that. He wasn't expecting to be the center of anyone's incentive. "I'm touched th-that you view so highly o-of me, Mimi-chan, thank you. But I doubt I really h-have _that _much of an influence over y-your struggles."

"Nonsense." She immediately tugged on his arm, forcing him to lean more toward her. "I know it's in Kennii-chan's nature to be so modest, but you really are the light of my world. Darling is the reason why I even feel like waking up, sleeping in, going out, doing anything proactive, doing anything in general." She placed a gentle palm on the left side of her chest. "Why I feel so strongly about anything in the first place. So please, don't think so lowly of darling's self, cause the world could be crumbling this instant, but I would still be hopeful if hubby's by my side."

Ken blinked, dumbfounded.

…Wow. He never knew a young lady such as Mimi-chan could be so… honest and deep with her feelings. With such emotion and certainty behind her words, maybe… maybe she _did _like him. It definitely seemed like it. Overall, he was touched by how highly she viewed him, even before her explanation. It reminded him of Saku-chan's affection of him, and her speech, it reminded him…

…of Naruko.

How powerful her words were really made Naruko even more special than she already was, so to hear how powerful Mimi-chan's own words were really gave him the impression that she was a mirrored version of his best friend. More than he thought before. There was almost no denying it. Mimi-chan was like the blonde, but younger.

Ken couldn't help the smile that made it's own on his pale face, really moved by the dialogue Mimi-chan had spoke. His smile seemed to have been infectious, since the little neko female ended up smiling as well.

They stayed like that for a while, enjoying each other's company. Soon though, Ken had noticed the girl was leaning more in, her eyes drooping and her lips perking out for… something…

Wait a second. She couldn't be wanting to…

…Uh oh…

Ken found his throat becoming dry, his heart beating faster and faster. Wait, he couldn't just… _kiss _Mimi-chan, right? And on the lips? In public!? This wasn't right. He was going to cross the line of morality, the line of decency! He couldn't do it. He couldn't kiss her! I mean, there wasn't anything wrong with Mimi-chan, but she was just eight years of age! There was a flippin red flag somewhere there, and if he leaned in as well, he would be caught by that damn redness. No pun intended with his beet red face.

He had to improvise, and right now! By then, wasn't this the repercussions he had spoken of just a minute ago? The bite on his ass he mentioned just a second ago!? He knew it could've been anytime, but he wasn't expecting right _now! _And here he was, disciplining himself to be ready for the attack.

He wasn't ready.

He wasn't ready!

He wasn't ready…

He… wasn't… ready…

Ken gulped nervously, finding his eyes being withdrawn toward those perking lips. They were bouncing the light off of themselves. Whether it was saliva or something else, he didn't know.

He supposed there was only one way to find out, but was he really going to test that water? To be caught red handed 'molesting' a child? Wouldn't that solidify his reputation as being a _monster?_

Man, he really went too far in that damn rabbit hole, didn't he?

He guessed, there was only one way to end this internal argument though. Ken gulped for the nth time, biting his dry lip unnervingly.

"Here are your Ramen, you two–"

Mimiru's eyes opened, seeing the retreating form of her darling dove and the surprised look of the man in white.

"Oh… am I interrupting something?" His eyebrow raised in suspicion.

"Actually–" Mimiru tried saying, but was over-spoken by her minty hunk's stuttering voice.

"N-N-N-No, of course n-not!" He waved nervously, chuckling guiltily, forcing a smile, albeit it came out weirdly. "We were j-just talking a-about something. Heh heh, oh cool, o-our Ramen. Domo A-Arigatou." Ken anxiously took his bowl and dug in almost greedily, slowing down momentarily after knowing his mouth was finally occupied with something other than words.

Mimiru gave her husband a stare, thoughts aimlessly swirling in her head. The young Academy student soon looked at her bowl, thanking the chef and eating her share.

None of them said anything for the remainder of their meals.

-Empty-

"Mom?"

"…"

Sakura's frown deepened. Her maternal parent had said nothing ever since the 'little' exchange earlier on, her hands instead taking over in the kitchen. Despite the time she came home from 'work', the pink kunoichi could tell the flowers on display wasn't even nurtured to the usual full extent.

They received half the love they usually got.

This wasn't good at all.

"Mom." Sakura repeated, more demanding than her few other attempts for today.

Finally, Mebuki looked up from the sliced vegetables. Her eyes seemed lost, like she wasn't sure where she was anymore. If the young Haruno member had Ino-pig's Shinranshin no Jutsu, then maybe she'd be able to feel the unimaginable emotions swimming inside her mother. That was how it worked, right?

"She called him her future husband." Mebuki muttered, though it reached Sakura's ears clearly.

"Mom…"

"Why did you let them be?"

"I–"

"Did you know about this?"

"…Yes…"

"And you said nothing about it. You kept it under wraps from me. Why?"

"Mom," Sakura sighed, sitting up straight, "It wasn't that simple."

"Why not?"

"…Mimiru… she really likes him."

"I noticed." Mebuki sighed as well. "Please tell me this is being forced on her, that it isn't what _she_ wants. Tell me it's a ploy from that demon, that the Yandaime somehow failed, that he actually is able to mind-control his victims." She lowered her head in dismay. "Please tell me I'm dreaming, and that I'll wake up real soon. Please, Sakura…"

"Mom," Sakura's eyes showed her sudden puzzlement, "what did you say about the Fourth Hokage?" She would've asked about the 'demon' segment of her mother's words, but she remembered it was a dub placed upon the infamous heads of both Naruko and Kenjo, leaning more on the latter nowadays. It plagued her mind why they would be called in such a ruthless way, to an extent where she just gave up and lived with it. Sure, Naruko could be difficult sometimes, but both of them were alright, she supposed. Never doing any severe damage here and there, or anywhere for that matter. Not to mention how absurd it sounded for someone as fragile as Kenjo to be looked down upon in such a way.

She heard adults ridiculing them behind their backs before, but with her mother's speech, along with the spontaneous insertion of the Fourth Hokage, things suddenly took a turn for the 'desperate curiosity' lane, ears perking up without control.

Sakura examined her mother closely, seeing the agitated state intensifying after being pulled out of her trepidation hole. She gave her daughter a second glance before looking down, hiding her face from proper evaluation. "N-Nothing. It's… just forget I said anything."

She knew her undying curiosity was going to be the end of her one day, but she couldn't stop wondering, even after being let down. The female Genin knew Kenjo's case was interesting, if not a bit suspicious, especially after graduating with a fail rating. But now, oh were things becoming relatively shrouded in deeper mystery, especially with it involving one of the deceased Hokage.

Only question was: Was she going to go out of her way to shed some light on her ignorant knowledge, by any means necessary?

-Empty-

To put it simply, things turned awkward really quickly. With so many positive influences for this particular moment of his day, Ken wouldn't have thought the mood would slant down so dramatically. The downhill of the day's sourness was like an insect inside someone's home, with Mimi-chan's smile, attitude, and open-mindedness acting as the bug spray. Now? Let's just say, the can ran out of fuel, and it was all thanks to his idiocy.

Who would've guessed?

Still, could you blame him? He was only trying to keep Mimi-chan from being perpetrated as the 'victim' of the scenario. No matter how they might have seen it as, people out of their bubble might not view it the same. Including Haruno-sama. He already felt a dangerous chill go down his spine when he had been, in his words, interrogated by her, so proving the 'good word' Sakura-chan had given him wrong was the last thing Tayamaru wanted to do. No matter if Mimi-chan didn't favor it.

Or, that was what he expected her downed sulk to be affected by. The male Genin could be just thinking too deep into it, but that was what he felt was the reason at this juncture.

Regardless, Ken, being himself, tried his best to uplift the atmosphere from the depths of darkness. Wow, deep. Heh, get it? 'No no,' The boy shook his head, 'not the right time for your lame jokes, Ken.' He took a gander at the soundless girl next to him, minus the footsteps. No matter how many times he attempted to speak to her, all he received was a 'mmhmm' and 'uhuh'.

Was he speaking to a rock or something? Probably not, since those grey dudes don't even respond vocally. Maybe this was his punishment? He _did _predicted this whole mess he got himself into would bite him in the ass. But wasn't the assumedly 'almost kiss' the punishment? He honestly had no idea anymore. He just wished he could find a way to fix this thing before the day ran out. Sure, it was in the middle of the afternoon, but evening was just around the corner, and if it came to be, then what could they possibly do to compensate for lost time?

He expected a nice time roaming around would be A-Okay for the time being, or at least until something fun or time-consuming could come across their field of vision. Nope. Negative on that. Not only had the town, for _some _odd reason, lost it's spark for the rest of the day, but the silence between the two friends was killing him.

_So long as you die, things will end without escalating any further, correct?_

Ken furrowed, but sighed soon after. He and his suicidal thoughts.

"I'm sorry," His head suddenly shot up, then glanced down curiously, Mimi-chan stared back up, but only with her big, innocent eyes, "I shouldn't have forced myself on you so suddenly, Kennii-chan."

"Mimi-chan?"

"I know we're not together yet." She averted from him, the ground inviting her gaze with open dirt. "So I shouldn't expect Kennii-chan to be as intimate with me."

_What do you think you're doing? Do not give up, you idiot!_

'Not now!' Mimiru rebuttaled.

"It's not th-that, Mimi-chan." Ken tried reassuring, though he regretted those words as soon as it left his reckless mouth. 'I can't be seriously telling her I _wanted _to kiss her, am I?!' "I wouldn't m-mind… kissing you…" 'My Kami, I am!' I mean, he knew he accepted pecks from Saku-chan, but that was on the cheek, and it was completely innocent. Mimi-chan seemed to want to go for the whole package, figuratively speaking, _and _in _public_. Nobody liked him. _Nobody! _He would definitely be slaughtered alive if they found out the 'monster' took advantage of such an innocent youth. Hell, he would probably do it to himself before they could, just to show how much self-hatred he had for Tayamaru Kenjo as an individual. If he even could, that is.

_Definitely too much of a pussy for that._

"I just… well, I don't w-want people to th-think I'm taking advantage of y-you."

"But you're not." Mimiru finally snapped out of her daze, his proposal of not minding to meet his wonderful lips with her undeserving ones was like a Cupid kunai to the chest.

"But they wouldn't view i-it as such." He gave her his full attention, seeing the disappointed expression of the little Academy student. "Our age g-gap is too large, not to mention myself b-being the eldest. I should b-be more responsible than r-reckless, and kissing th-those…" He bit his bottom lip, his complimenting bone rattling dangerously, "…and kissing those… _cute_ l-lips of yours will j-just prove how far I a-am from it."

A warm blush formed on her squeezable cheeks, her eyes increasing their moe by rolling upward to his own flushed face. He thought… he thought her lips were… cute?

_Uurgghh…!_

Her interior voice's input wasn't very coherent though.

"I, I guess you're right…" She sighed, the segment of society's shunning view finally entering her ears, as needlessly injudicious as it was. The last thing she wanted was for her hubby to get hurt. Her declaration of their love should also be under-wrapped for that hope to continue to live. Thankfully Ramen-san didn't seem as judgmental as others. Wait, did that mean everyone else was a big no-no, including mommy and her onee-chan? Maybe not the latter, since her actions earlier made it seem she was finally coming around. Hopefully that applied to her mommy as well.

_Were we not going to kill anyone that stood in our way regardless?_

'We will.' Her eyes softened considerably. 'But Kennii-chan's reputation is more important than my selfish compulsion.'

_It's called true love, but I suppose you're right. Husband comes first above all._

'Exactly.'

"Hey," Mimiru's big ears perked up, her eyes following the wonderful sound of the angel's voice, "wanna take a b-break?"

He pointed at an adjacent bench, the grassy plane nearby having a peaceful coax to it. Her feet never felt heavy before, but the sudden citing of rest seemed too enticing now that her mind was out of the gutter.

"Sure."

They took a seat, side-by-side, their eyes aimlessly searching for a resting place themselves. It was silent as before, but at least Ken could not feel the intensity from earlier. Still, the mood had taken a shot, bled, and now was patched up. That didn't mean all things were top notch; they were still injured from his choice. It probably never would be unless their minds drifted away from the recent incident. Or if they picked up where they last left off.

…Nope. Not going to fall for the same fishing net twice.

"Kennii-chan…?"

"Hmm?" His gaze finally found a resting place: her averting one.

"Do you…" She fidgeted awkwardly with the fabric of her maroon garment, "…do you remember the first time we met?"

"First time?" He questioned curiously, not understanding how their once died conversation came to be. "You m-mean when we bumped into e-each other?"

"N-No," She said nervously, not daring to stare at him. Not only because her mind became more self-conscious of their surroundings– people's views of two persons all alone surrounded by the ungratified romance of the nearby field, but also because of how clueless her hunk was of their 'real' initial encounter. Still, a field like this… just screamed reminiscence, didn't it? It made sense if it did, obviously; it was the same field from before. She shook her head though. "Never mind."

"Mimi-chan…" Her troubled insides caught his heart in a trap once more, this time tugging hard for a proper reaction. She deserved it, after all he'd put her through for the past hour. But how? What was he expected to say? Them thudding into each other while escaping a mob of angry villagers was not their first encounter? What was it then? Did they meet before then? When was it? He barely remembered anything beneficial in his early stages in life, since it was filled to the brim with nothing but pain and grief.

If her tone was anything to go by, then somewhere in his filthy clogged closet of a backstory had to be a moment in his life where he had seen such a cute face like hers before.

It wasn't Naruko, despite his previous accusations of them being one in the same.

It couldn't be at the Academy, she just started two days ago– amazing how confident she was with her level of knowledge of her studies with two days under her belt– _three_ if counting today.

Then, back at the Orphanage? No no, that's too far; she was only eight, right? She had to be at least two for a six year old like him back then to actually interact with the 'big children', excluding how secluded he had been to everyone else. And when a demon turns six, he is thrown out for everybody's sakes.

So, after that?

He entered the Academy with Naruko at the age of eight, so…

Wait a second.

Those ears.

Of course! How could he not have known from the start?! It might have been on the tip of his tongue when they were in the alleyway, but just knowing he somehow forgotten who she was infuriated him with even more self-hatred.

"I remember now…"

Mimiru looked up at him, the words sending a spark of hope to her eyes.

"You were…"

"Yes?" Mimiru leaned in anxiously, eyes widening impatiently.

"…You were th-the one…"

_Hey! L-L-Leave her a-alone!_

"…who was picked on…" He stared out around the field of flowers. He pointed a finger at an area of the blissful field. "Right there. Y-You were right there wh-when it happened. Right?"

"_Hey freak, nice ears."_

_*Collection of laughter*_

"_Man, you look like an ugly dog with those things."_

_*More Laughter*_

_She frowned._

_He frowned from afar._

_She felt, sad._

_He felt a powerful anger within that kept boiling with every laugh that came from the group's mouth._

_She got tugged and pushed around._

_He had enough._

_But he was beaten up once he intervened._

_Punch after punch._

_Blow after blow._

_Splatter after blood splatter._

_They laughed all the way home._

_She looked down, horrified at the sight._

_He tried flashing a smile, but his mouth was swollen and bruised._

_She slowly opened her mouth, and spoke._

"Yeah." She said with a sad smile, remembering every detail of it. "How could I forget? The Orphanage lady allowed the children and I to have some outdoor activities close by. I ended up roaming instead," Her eyes flashed a moment of happiness when it landed on a specific type of flower in the grassy spectacle, "stumbling on these beautiful blossoms. Then," A depressed frown contrasted her recent joy, "some older boys came up and poked fun of how I looked."

Her big ears suddenly drooped down, the pair not liking the reminder either. By now, Ken was frowning almost as much as her, the freshened scene haunting his once young eyes. Although it was a few months after meeting Naruko, and blonde's life stories competed with how painful it was to watch two year old neko be punished for something she had no control of, back then he never really witnessed torment _in front_ of him, regardless of his own tormented heart. The Genin was used to receiving it, not watching someone take it instead. That really snapped him back then; facing older children so thoughtlessly. Like a twig in a dead silent night.

If only he had been strong enough. If only he was strong _right now._

"It wasn't really anything new though," She continued, her smile returning for compensation, "the orphans made fun of me all the time. But whether the moment was because of how unexpected it was because of how peaceful this place was, or because of the Orphanage Lady not being there to stop it, their teasing hurt more than any other time." She finally faced her future lover, her fingertips hesitantly touched his on the wooden bench. "That was when I was finally shown how hope was still alive in this world. In my life. That there was still some people, _someone_ out there who truly cared. Who stood up even though of how older his enemies were. How the odds were stacked against him. How he, despite the consequence he received," Her whole left hand finally overlapped his right, "smiled to a hopeless soul for no reward."

"Mimi-chan," He said, not realizing how many times he started most of his sentences for today with her name, "You're not a h-hopeless soul. And I don't really c-care of how many punches are th-thrown to my jaw, cause at th-the end of the day, I am lucky to have th-the priceless reward of a-all. You want t-to know what that is?"

"What?" She asked through her glossy gaze.

"Seeing a c-cute lady like you smile." He booped her nose once again, her eyes never leaving his, lips departed with an unspoken reaction. As it was before, her face turned beet red, her heart overloading with such a tremendous pace that it was really a wonder why a single heart attack was not reached? Although her body finally caved in after all this time.

"H-Hey there." Ken reacted, holding onto her jelly-like body, her head buried in his lap.

"S-Sorry." She muttered in his fabric.

Chuckling comically, Kakashi's male student decided to twist her body so Mimi-chan was laying flat across on the bench, the back of her head resting calmly on his thighs.

"K-Kennii-chan…" The still beet red neko trailed off, heart skipping several beats when eyes locked in a gazing war. "…this p-position…"

"Hmm? What about i-it?"

_Gosh, is our hubby teasing us or something? He _just_ said he didn't want to be look at as a 'molester'._

'Yeah, but I don't think there's anything wrong with having someone's head rest on your lap, is there?'

_Of course not. B-But still, aren't we too close to his… you know…?_

'His what?'

…_Never mind._

"This is nice." He stared straightforward, her eyes following suit.

It really was. Although it wasn't evening yet, accompanied by the usual romantic hue lighting up the sky with orange-reddish 'heart-shaped' clouds depicting the atmosphere with perfection, the afternoon set still took the breath away from her. Not a cloud in the sky. Clear blueness overlooking jade green and crimson red eyes. With no one ruining this concord moment of theirs, the field around them acting like a lovely impenetrable fortress. It was just perfect. Just–

"Hang on." He suddenly gestured for the youngster to sit up. She did, her eyes following his rounding presence turning behind the bench.

_Where is our lovely dove going?_

'No clue.' She peaked over the bench, the once Academy student crouching down on the green field. Her eyebrow cocked inquisitively, watching Kennii-chan return to his seat.

"Lean nearer." He signaled, her body retracting to his being without question. He took ahold of the top of her head, fidgeting, an odd, light object tucking in the slickness of her hair, right beside her left feline ear.

"What was that?" She reached up and felt it with care, her eyes widening when her palm felt the tickly nature of what appeared to be a group of stamen. She instinctively took it off, staring at the green filled flower in her grasp.

"Sorry." He scratched the back of his head. "I know it w-was cliché of me to pick a-a flower for you, but your e-eyes kind of reminded me of the invaluable s-spectral I saw when observing th-these flowers."

She didn't answer. Mimiru just kept staring at the indescribable creation before her very eyes. Sure, she saw green flowers like this before the last time she was here, but that was six years ago, when the only thing her brain could decipher was how 'ugly' and 'inhumane' she was because of how her shell appeared to the world around her. Now, she could finally absorb all of the beauty nature was providing them with a wiser mindset.

_Helleborus._

"_I love it."_ She murmured.

"Huh?"

"I love it." She repeated, looking up with a wide, genuine smile. A smile being accompanied by a threatening waterfall.

It took a moment for the Genin to realize those tears were actually joyful rather than a betrayal to her accused-fake smile. He chuckled, flicking the droplets away with both thumbs. "Don't stain this cute f-face of yours, silly."

She giggled, bobbing her head before presenting the specimen to her heroic hero. "S-Sorry. Could you please…?"

"Sure."

Once it took shelter in her blue hair for the second time, Mimiru gave her man an expectant look. "W-Well?" She asked shyly, adding even more cuteness to her blushful, moeful, tiny frame of cuteness. "How do I look?"

Ken opened his mouth to speak, but paused for a moment to rethink his words. He really needed to be more careful complimenting Mimi-chan in public, otherwise everyone might–

Ah, screw it!

The green boy's smile turned completely genuine, his eyes half-lidding themselves for more emphasis. "Y-You look so beautiful, Mimi-chan."

The girl's breath was caught, and in that moment, time seemed to stop. Regardless of whether she was blushing like a freakin sun, or stiff like a giddy schoolgirl, or even being eyed by others, Mimiru couldn't stop herself from leaning in. It was inevitable. They were the north and south of separate magnets. It was going to happen no matter what.

'I'm sorry, honey…' She gulped nervously, lips ready for his endearing pair. 'I can't stop my–'

"You!"

…

Ken and Mimiru turned to the sudden disruption.

Blood Red eyes came to be.

This time though, it wasn't Kenjo's.

**-Empty-**

**End of Chapter**

**Thank you all for waiting patiently for this one. I know I took a while to upload it, but it is finally done.**

**Hope you enjoyed yourself when reading it. Be sure to review and do all those other awesome things.**

**Appreciate it a bunch, guys!**

**Until next time.**

**-Narurific-**


	18. When One isn't Enough

**Chapter 18**

**When One isn't Enough**

**-Empty-**

There wasn't one person on the planet who hadn't felt the peaceful nature of the a sunrise. The glorious footwork of the sky turning into relaxation. The relieving deduction of breathing after desperately needing to. The impressive standing of… well, you get the picture. Oh, excuse me. Allow me to reiterate that thought. There wasn't a single person on the planet aside from those who were unfortunate enough to not have been able to live long enough to enjoy such remarks.

Yet, Tayamaru Kenjo had. He felt the warmth of a bright sunrise. He took in the nature of a peaceful sky. But somehow, despite the once initiation of contentment, he was at a roadblock. Again. A roadblock of confusion and incomprehension. Wasn't the first time, but this _was _the first time being in the center of two typically cute youngsters who somehow found the switch of maliciousness behind their brains.

Scary was more suited for their current principle.

"Saku-chan…" Ken trailed for, well, the first time since instinctively greeting the little Uchiha member a few feet away, right after realizing the face she was conjuring up. It was as if he was looking at the past Saku-chan– you know, the one he had no balls of describing, at least not right now while staring at it. Only this time, it somehow was worse than initially.

Maybe she had found a new formula to an undiscovered glare. Or maybe it was…

…Her eyes…

"…Your e-eyes–"

"You." Mimiru finally said, her early reaction to the Uchiha's sudden appearance disappearing when the puzzle seemed to fit together. The reason why she was probably here. With that grimacing face of hers. Those clenching fists and huffing chest.

She ran for their get-together…

…Because of her husband, wasn't it?

At the Academy…

It just _had to be…_

Suddenly, the little neko's upper body leapt forward and grasped the side of her green hero, catching him off guard, holding onto him possessively. "What are _you _doing here?"

She practically heard the growl leaving the gritting teeth of a person who was a ways away and was not appearing for a nice time. "Let. Him. Go." She slowly snarled her demand, bloodshot piercing jade.

"Heh," Mimiru snickered with a glare of her own, "you come here to ruin our date, your highness? How corrupt you are. Unfortunately for you though, I'm not going anywhere, unless it's where my hubby's going."

"Hubby…?" Eyelids lit up, only to squint again, imagining themselves as actual kunai stabbing the snarling little bitch over and over again, post-death. "Are you _trying _to piss me off, bitch?"

"Saku-chan." Ken breathed, taken aback by the sudden use of language.

"Hah," Mimiru's derision echoed through Sakuri's peach ears, painting a slight red from stress, "I wouldn't _need _to try to get under your skin, since you're just a single, thin-layered sleeve who gets off _trying _to steal one's man."

Sakuri growled even more, teeth grinding back and forth with more force. "Why you little–"

"Hang on h-here." The male in this whole situation confronted with a halting palm, feeling the tense air surrounding them becoming too uncomfortable, if Saku-chan's malignant paused stomps and venomous glower. "What's going o-on here? What's u-up with the rude b-behavior?"

"Don't worry, Kennii-sensei," Sakuri somehow ended up with a tone of care despite it being a whole other story a second ago, "She has you in a Genjutsu, but I'll break it as soon as I get rid of this little trash here."

"I'm not being mind-played, S-Saku-chan." Ken frowned, certainty lost in his sentence. He was almost positive Genjutsu wasn't part of this argument, but he wouldn't know that for sure though. After all, he had knowledge of Genjutsu even making you believe such things. It was called Genjutsu for a reason, people.

"That's exactly what one would say if they were being manipulated."

"Hubby's not in a Genjutsu." Mimiru spoke up, tightening her grip on Ken's shirt. "His love for me is as pure as your stupidity."

"Can it, bitch." Sakuri spat dangerously, her attention snapping back to the little thief. "You won't have your way with me that easily. I have the Sharingan, so you're at a disadvantage."

"Sh-Sharingan?" Ken blinked, the familiarity of her bloodshot eyes finally growing from an unseeing seed into an understanding tree. "You l-learnt the Sharingan? When?" Indeed, he was informed, even from the horse's mouth, that such a technique was not available in the little Uchiha's arsenal, yet. So seeing it right now was… unreal. Or at least unexpected. Things were going too fast for the boy. The density between the two girls. The hostility in their eyes. Saku-chan's Dojutsu.

He almost felt as if he really _was _in the hands of a Genjutsu.

"I'm… not sure…" Her face crunched with indecisiveness, "…it only sunk in a while ago that my body felt different than it used to be. I felt… stronger. More agile. I could even see things I never had before." She soon shook her head rapidly, shaking off the thought. "But that doesn't matter now. What matters is getting you away from this skanky witch."

"You're the one to talk." Mimiru shot back. "Genjutsu is one of an Uchiha's bases when it comes to those eyes. So stop being hypocritical and leave us be already."

"Over my dead body."

"Over your dead body, huh?" The young neko closed her eyes, taking a moment to recollect herself. Although, once she opened them, said pupils shrunk like an imploding bomb that somehow never got to explode. "That sounds reasonable." Teeth bared sharply, the corners of her mouth reaching to new grounds of a twisted smile.

Sakuri flinched a bit by the sick transition, but never backed down from her word.

In the name of her Kennii-sensei.

Only for him.

"Stop it, you two." Ken's stern voice snapped Mimiru back to surface level, her psyche returning to normal as quickly as it had swerved to creepiness. On the other side, the green boy's expression was not looking too joyful about this whole thing going on before him; the disappointing annoyance was evident to both females. "I don't kn-know what has gotten into b-both of you guys, but I-I'd very much like it to end r-right now."

"But Kennii-chan," Mimiru pouted, pointing an accusing digit to the girl in front, "she's trying to ruin our date!"

"Mimi-chan…" Ken sighed. Her statements were not helping.

"More like _forced_ tryst." Saku-chan came nearer. "Don't worry, Kennii-sensei, I'll snap you out of her tricks."

"I'm not, she's n-not tricking me with anything, S-Saku-chan." The person of interest rebuttaled confidently, but it wasn't enough. He sighed. "Fine. If you t-truly believe I am, then d-disrupt my chakra flow, Saku-chan."

Sakuri stopped in front of him, hesitating from the approved acceptance, but did it away.

Delicate palm touched clothed chest. "Let go of him." Sakuri glared at the cheeky neko, only to receive a defiant, yet cute pout.

Ken's hand found her wrist though. "It's part of the process, M-Mimi-chan. Your touch might b-be a sign of resumption of the G-Genjutsu."

It took a while of introverted contemplation for the questioned girl before she finally let go, albeit vacillatingly.

"Kai!"

…

Ken gave the awaiting Uchiha a sad smile. "See? No tricks or t-treats."

"But," Sakuri bit her lip, "no, I might have not done it right. Kai!"

…

"Kai!"

"Saku-chan…"

…

"Kai!"

…

"Kai, damn it!"

…

Ken could practically feel the trembling form on his chest, despite the firm pressure it gave off. His eyes drooped sadly, the strings of his heart being tugged by the unfortunate resolve of the girl's suspicions. "Saku-chan…?"

"So you really are…" She said, face hidden behind hanging bangs, "…you really are dating her…?" It was a question.

A rhetorical one.

Her voice was breaking down. He could tell.

He wanted to, and as a sensei, he expected it of him as well.

Ken stood up and embraced her in his arms.

Both girls' breath was caught in their throats, shock written over their faces, mainly on Mimiru's.

They stayed like that for a while, not moving, not talking, just standing. One embracing. One being embraced. And one's fury rising and rising with each passing second.

He didn't know why she was feeling this way. He wished he knew, so he could counter with an appropriate approach. But he didn't. He could only hypothesis, and damn it, was he going to. He did that with unforced interest, and with it came the end of the line. An end which was the only thing that could in the unfinished puzzle.

Jealousy.

But it couldn't be, right? Jealousy? Over him? Because he was 'dating' Mimi-chan? Instead of her? No, it couldn't be. The thought felt too conceited to even be real. He understood he was blessed with people who cared for him when no one else did, but tugging on his shoulder because of someone else's tug was blasphemous to the greatest height.

There was no way in hell someone who was shunned all his life had the jealousy of others over his shoulders. Having a single friend was more than he could ask for.

Someone wanting to 'date' him was incomprehensible.

Friends fighting over him was unadulterated sorcery.

He could be overthinking this. Saku-chan might just want to spend time with him, or better yet, wrinkle her nose to the mere thought of 'dating' someone she seemed to spite. That was more believable than his initial hypothesis. But it didn't really fit with her reaction though.

Regardless, Ken needed to take action– something more than just a simple hug of reassurance.

He pulled away from her, gloved hands still holding calmed shoulders. "Would you mind sitting d-d-down with us? I would like to ask y-you two some questions."

Her eyes stared intensively at his. Red locked with red. Although it told the story of a currently troubled child, Ken could still appreciate the amazing complexity of how endearing those eyes of hers really were. Her pitch-black oculus was one of ripe aplomb, true to form despite how cute Saku-chan could be at times– which was all the time. Now, aside from the shift in lively hue, her Sharingan could describe the adroitness of her endowed strength buried deep within her, something her previous irises couldn't complete depict.

A true day and night comparison. Warm with passionate care, the other extensive with eloquent potential. Both essential. Both representing Uchiha Sakuri herself.

She bit her trembling lip, attempting to calm herself down. She felt the hands holding were giving her person a gentle squeeze, the smile before her warming even more.

A slight, yet hot blush formed on her face, her mind unable to reject. "S-Sure."

-Empty-

"Next topic." Sarutobi said for, what, the ninth time? Ninetieth time? He didn't know. He really didn't know. Man, he really disliked how the council could stretch each issue for hours and hours. "The lack of available Anbu compared to last month's statistics."

"How many this time?"

"Approximately sixteen." Sarutobi set down the chart, i.e. the sheet of paper, and looked forth upon the council before him. "Which is less than before, though it is to be expected with the restraints and security we were willing to put on the Anbu. Still, it's sixteen too many, and with the village's voice curtly growing with impatient questions on why their loved ones are not coming home, our condemned answers won't be enough in the near future."

"There is nothing to be done about this." Hiashi groaned disapprovingly. "At least, nothing more than our hands had provided before. We've already tried multiple routes, including sending out no Anbu at all. But that's impossible if we're expected to keep the economy from collapsing on itself."

"But we can't just ignore what's shown in front of us." Shibi spoke up from behind his dark shades.

"It's not as if we were neglecting the idea for the past few months, now were we?" Homura pointed out.

"The only reason we are being faulted is because of apprehension of the unknown." Utatane Koharu evaluated, sighing from her own vocal reminder.

"Have we not gain any trail as to who the perpetrator could be?" Inuzuka questioned the Hokage.

"I'm afraid not." The elderly man sighed. "The only thing we have on our side is speculation, and with the little information we have on the culprit's identity, our speculation's reliability is little to none."

"Could we try luring the perpetrator out perhaps?" Utatane questioned.

"We went over that before, Utatane-san." Inoichi explained, understanding the woman had the flu the day they voted for a 'guinea pig'. "But with the fallen numbers, we have no clue if doing such a thing could be a good idea."

"We have no idea of the level of intelligence of the offender." Choza followed up. "Or the actual pattern they're going for."

"Remember there _are _moments where Anbu had gone and returned from the outside without any signs of ambush." Shibi said. "So either they're trying to let our guard down, or have a specific method in doing their deed. Which again, we have absolutely no idea what it could be if that were true, especially with the time and place for when they strike not linking to anything at all."

"So using a trap would be a waste of time if those things are taken into consideration." Hiruzen threw his own two cents on the table, noticing the quietness of the man near him. "Any thoughts on the matter, Danzo?"

"Not which have not been said before." Danzo proclaimed calmly, his expression not changing from it's stoic demeanor.

"So, no new stands?" Nobody said a thing to the Hokage, looking around and waiting for someone else to speak up.

"I mean," Tsume broke the silence, attracting everyone's gaze, "we _have _available Jonin to recruit instead. Based on the similarities amongst the missing, Jonin do not count as official Anbu, even if they're on special operations needing said ranked ninja. And if we _are _willing to risk more Anbu, regardless of the difficulty and importance of the missions, we should send out Anbu as a large enough group in an attempt to counter whatever's lurking outside the village's gates."

"You are one of the leaders of the Anbu," Hiashi glanced disgruntling at the woman, "and yet you're only bringing this up _now?"_

"The assignments are not completely mine to give out." Tsume glared at the man. "And for the record, I am not responsible for other Jonin outside the Anbu listing, so I have no say whether they accompany along or not." Her eyes met the Hokage's. "Besides, there are still Anbu assigned on long-term objectives, so disrupting the balance wouldn't work well on a professional level."

"Indeed." Hiruzen nodded. "Anbu are different from other rankings. One difference is that they're needed to finish their missions if possible to continue with."

"That's knowable." Matsuru stated, looking at Hiashi expectantly. The man merely kept quiet aside from a simple 'hmph'.

Tsume bit down a remark. 'That man…!'

"Next topic." The Sandaime flipped to the next sheet. Before this meeting even began, the older man knew what needed to be faced. And by flipping that one single page, the facing had commenced. He hesitated, and everyone noticed it; they were awaiting for the next conflict. Judging by how the man reacted, it couldn't be good. One problem came to mind though, and they readied themselves for what it could be. "…Tayamaru."

"What is it now?" Inoichi nearly groaned irritably, Tsume narrowing her eyes at the reaction, albeit her eyes were still focused on the Hokage.

"Did he finally released the seal?" Mitokado asked almost fearfully.

"Don't be ridiculous, Homura." Koharu shook her head. "We all know what would signify the release of the seal, and thankfully, it hadn't come yet."

"Yet?" He asked back.

"You know what I mean."

"Ahem," Hiruzen pretended to clear his throat, clearing the disrupting noise from the room, "it's about his sightings."

"His sightings?" Choza cocked an eyebrow.

"Elaborate, Lord Third." Shikaku requested.

"Kenjo has been… up and about recently. And although that would normally be ignored if it was where the full-stop begins, there has been sightings of him interacting with others. More specifically, as the complaints read: 'innocent minds'. It is thought by the protestors that this could lead to misfortune for his company if it continues."

"Misfortune? But is the seal not present?" Homura questioned a bit worriedly.

"I believe what they meant was his persona is a façade merely existing to lead the ignorant to their calamity." Matsuru Akari informed in his own words.

"Mistrust. Maliciousness. Fowl play." Hiashi grimaced at the thought. "That boy! I told you we should get rid of him. He's nothing but an unsolvable equation needing to be erased."

"Could it be just for companionship?" Homura hypothesized.

"Even if that were to be the case," Inoichi crossed his arms, "are we willing to risk it being that and _only _that?"

"Of course not." Hiashi growled almost angrily. "Can't the blind not open their eyes and see what this child will lead our village to if we don't act with haste? That _thing_ would bring our to shambles, dust, and nothing but a pit of nothingness. We will be a sitting duck. And even if we somehow got rid of him without Lord Fourth's help this time, we would still be vulnerable for attack by other opposing hidden villages. Our attempts at rebuilding ourselves after the Third Shinobi War would've been for naught!"

"Besides," Shibi spoke, "We've heard what Lord Yandaime's will was. If we're backed up into a corner by Tayamaru, then we _have _to take matters to his end."

"Don't you even try it, Aburame." Tsume snarled. "Yandaime clearly stated we should _only _take it that far if all else fails."

"Which they have." Hiashi shot back.

"No, they haven't." Tsume slammed her hands against the table, forcing herself up with her seat tipping over with a loud collision to the ground.

"Inuzuka…!" Utatane reprimanded next to her.

"I'm sick and tired of how lazy you are to wake your Hyuga-brain up when Ken-kun is involved, and instead raise your hand up for assault with each opportunity you get! You mocked how animalistic Inuzuka are, and yet you're being more of a heartless beast when it comes to the boy!"

"Ken-kun?" Hiashi's eyebrow rose, his expression rather surprised than apprehensive by the sheer nature of the current Tsume. "So you _do _have a relationship with him?"

"I…" Tsume caught herself in the moment, biting on her bottom lip with her sharp fangs. Instead of denying it as usual, her emotions got the best of her a second time in a row. "Fine, I admit it! I care for the boy, okay?! Was that what you wanted to hear!? I'm not ashamed of caring for someone that was forced to carry out someone else's job!"

…

"What?" Hiashi spoke on behalf of himself and the others around him, his eyes ogling in confusion at the thirty-something year old woman.

Tsume's eyes bulged once more, this time larger than everyone else's. 'Shit!'

"Inuzuka," Sarutobi started, a bit shaken up by what he just heard, "do you know something we do not?"

"N-No." She shook her head, trying her best to get ahold of herself before anything else started spilling from her big mouth.

"Inuzuka," Hiashi narrowed his eyes, "if you're holding valuable information about one of the most dangerous threats of this era, then you're acting out a sinister treason not only to the council, but to your village as well."

"I told you," A bit of anger slithered through the sharp teeth of Tsume's sneer, "there's nothing I know that you do not!"

"She's obviously lying." Shikaku said next to Inoichi and Choza.

"I'm not!"

"Then explain to us who forced Tayamaru?" Hiashi questioned curiously. "Who took advantage of the boy you care so much of?"

"Nobody." Tsume lowered her gaze. "I… I was speaking out of context, that's all. It's… it has to be the stress I'm under." She turned her back to them, her face covered in shadow, the usually courteous bow for departure forgotten through the clouding thoughts in her head. "E-Excuse me, I have to leave."

"You cannot just leave, Inuzuka!" Utatane tried calling, but the woman shunshin'd away during her attempt, leaving the council in a silent mess.

Although, as everyone kept staring at the spot Tsume once was, their minds couldn't help but wonder what _really_ happened.

-Empty-

Ken frowned. Two girls sat on either side, using him as a divider. Their gazes were avoiding everything involving the other's side of the bench. The Genin just sighed, wondering if he had made the right call or if he just made it more worse and awkward for the three of them. It was as if they had a 'time out' for something they did wrong, and now their crossed arms matched greatly with how upset their expressions were.

'Saku-chan was so willing to be cooperative, but as soon as she sat down, her mood turned sour just as before. Maybe she finally realized what she just gotten herself into, and is unable to go back on her word. At least she doesn't seem to be wanting to claw her way through Mimi-chan's skin anymore. Same goes for said girl.' "Alright," Ken decided, "we c-can't stay here forever, you know? So l-let's get this o-over with, okay?"

No one answered him, which wasn't really reassuring. It was as if his men, or women in this case, just jumped ship, leaving him alone with an imaginary crew.

"Could one of y-you explain what's going o-on between the two o-of you?"

"She started it." Mimi said, not turning one bit.

"Me?" Sakuri gasped over her shoulder. "You're the one who can't keep her hands to herself!"

"What does _that_ suppose to mean!?" Mimiru looked over as well, not welcoming the tone of her 'enemy'.

"You know what I mean!" Sakuri growled, turning her body so she was facing the little blue gremlin. "You think just because you coax Kennii-sensei to fall in your paws mean you can hog him from what's more important in his life?"

"Which is _you?" _Mimiru nearly laughed, turning as well. "How full of yourself can you get? And I didn't _force_ Kennii-chan into doing anything. Our love is as pure as how corrupt you truly are."

"Stop it with your pure love crap!" Sakuri gritted her teeth, clenching her veiny fists. "What do _you _know about love? You're probably using Kennii-sensei cause you're in heat."

"Of course I'm hot." Mimiru rolled her eyes. "It's sunny; we all should be. But I suppose the day lost it's light as soon as you came in to rain your jealousy over us."

"I'm not talking about that heat, you stupid cat!"

"Saku-chan." Ken narrowed his eyes, trying as best to hold back from the erupting flames so it could hopefully cool down naturally. But name calling just wasn't nice at all. I mean, none of what was happening was good, but that was only because he was attempting to stay out of it.

'As if bringing this problem up was doing exactly that.' Ken frowned at himself.

"She's using you, Kennii-sensei." Sakuri looked his way like he was crazy or something to protest against her saying. "Can't you see that?"

"N-No, she's not." Ken shook his head. Did they not _just _clarify that?

"Don't worry, Kennii-chan." The little neko wrapped her arms around the arm closest to her– his right. "She's just sour because of what she doesn't have."

"That's n-not nice either, Mimi-chan." The green preteen groaned in distaste, not approving of her 'help' on the situation. "And what does she n-not have?"

"Hubby's love."

"I–" Sakuri stuttered, a bit taken aback by the sudden declaration, though it was seen coming from a mile away. "Th-That's not true! I do receive sensei's… l-love."

"Sure you do, especially after that hesitating remark." Mimiru rolled her eyes with a pitiful smirk.

"Wait," Ken tried to catch up, "so th-this is about my affection?" He almost couldn't believe it. Sure, he thought of such a conclusion in his head, but to actually hear it out in public, and from someone else no less, made it even more ludicrously unbelievable.

Despite his question, there was no answer. "You laugh, but I doubt you even got to feel sensei's lips before."

"Wh-wha…!?" The young Haruno member double took what she just heard, the mentioning of her sweet man's lips taking a tinting toll on her flustered cheeks. "W-Well, I mean, we're taking things slow, so–"

"Fu… fu fu fu…" Sakuri laughed through her nose, feeling confident in her argument as her flat chest puffed out with fists landing on hips. "Kennii-sensei and I have already kissed each other before."

"N-Nani!" Mimiru nearly fainted, her body burning with boiling madness.

_She… This, this bitch kissed our angel!?_

'What am I doing!?' The young Uchiha member thought through a poised façade. 'Why am I saying such things like I'm proud of it, and in front of Kennii-sensei!? Oh Kami, he's going to think _I'm_ the one using him!'

"Saku-chan…" Ken blushed bright red, surprised his student would be bragging about something that was innocent. It was innocent, right? A kiss on the cheek wasn't anything to ponder further by, right? Right? Then why was Saku-chan acting like it was? And saying it in such a way? Did he misinterpret what happened between them the day before? Was that not _just _affection between close friends?

What was even happening right now?!

There was no way any of this was happening. He must be dream–

Oh shit, it really was happening.

Every single second of it.

But how? _How?!_

And how the hell was he expected to react?

Was reacting even an option?

Was what he was doing to them even an option as well?!

"Kennii-chan!" Mimiru stared back at the boy next to her, tearing up with genuine sadness that tugged painfully on his heart. "Is this true? Did you kiss her before me?"

'Before?' "Well, I mean, it w-was just a peck on the ch-cheek."

"Then kiss me on the cheek too!"

"Eh?"

"Kiss me on the cheek, hubby." She turned her face to the side, leaning closer to his own. "You can't expect to leave me in the dust like that. I'll feel like a doormat if you don't."

'Leave you in the dust? Doormat? What does any of that even portray!?'

"Oh no, you don't." Sakuri reached out and tugged the Genin away from the 'danger zone', Sharingan reactivating. "There's no way I'll let you manipulate my sensei twice!"

"I'm not manipulating hubby!" Mimiru growled, tugging Ken back toward herself.

"Stop calling him 'hubby'. You're not married to him, and never will." She tugged back harder, hurting Ken's arm from the force.

"Not yet though, and yes we will. Our pure love conquers all, especially pesky Uchiha!" The cute neko pulled harder this time, hurting the boy's other arm as well, making him grimace.

"Your love is as _purely _delusional as the litter box you were trained in!"

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"Neither does your face!"

"Right back at you!"

"Bitch!"

"Dog!"

"Bitch!"

"Dog!"

"Bitch!"

"Dog!"

'Why me!?' Kenjo cried comically, his body feeling as if it was going to be split in two with all the suffering it was being put through.

-Empty-

"Hey." A man shunshin'd next to another, both jumping from roof to roof.

"Oh, hey there, Akari." The Jonin smiled at the arrival, slowing down a bit on instinct. "How's today's meeting?"

"Exhausting, as usual." Matsuru sighed at the reminder. "Things aren't really looking too colorful back there, especially with what happened today."

"Care to share?" Ichiro knew the answer though, cause they barely held anything back from each other. They were just that close, literally and figuratively.

"I mean, it's not my place to say really," Finger scratched nearby cheek, "although, I suppose you _are _my friend, so what the heck!"

"Just cause I'm your friend, huh?" Shikira Ichiro chuckled. "Should I feel honored, or concern over how easy you give personal information out like this?"

"Both." Matsuru Akari seemed to joke. "It's about Inuzuka-san."

"Inuzuka-san?" He raised an eyebrow. "What happened to her?"

"I'm not really sure." The blonde council member admitted, loose ponytail swaying behind him. "She seemed off today. She exaggerated when confronted with one of today's issues."

"Kenjo?" It had to be. His close friend never was able to keep his mouth shut when conversing with him after all. Inuzuka Tsume's offensive nature when the green boy's name was in the center of the council's table was just that obvious sometimes. Or so he had been told.

"Yep." Akari nodded. "The boy just has _that_ much of an effect on the woman, whether she knows it or not. Today though, she said something weird."

"What did she say?" Now he was somehow becoming curious of what transpired behind closed doors.

"I have no idea if it has any relation to the boy or not, but Inuzuka-san said she couldn't overlook someone who was forced to do someone else's bidding."

"She said that?" Ichiro turned his surprised face to the man near him, feet still using roofs as stepping stones.

"Well, not exactly." Matsuru shrugged, closing the lids on his dark blue eyes. "I can't really remember her words with precision, but they were somewhat similar. Again, I don't know if she was talking about Tayamaru during that time, even if it was a heated argument over the kid, but what I _do_ know is that she just up and left right after."

"She took her leave just like that? In front of the Hokage?"

"In front of everyone."

"Bizarre." He really wasn't saying it for simplicity's sake. It was really strange for him. For someone who didn't see it live and was being told instead. How odd was it for the others who actually _did_ witness it? If it was someone else, it might have not been this big. But for one of Anbu's leaders and head of the Inuzuka clan to be _that _explicit with her abrupt feelings, it was just… wow…

"I know, right?" The blonde shook his head, deciding to switch their roles. "Anyway, how was 'team play' today?"

"Same as always." He looked straight forward. "Although, they _are _growing into fine ninja."

"That's good." Matsuru smiled. "What about your son? Are you heading home?" Stupid question really. This wasn't the route to the Shikira residence.

"Later."

"It's not a good thing to leave Runo all alone like that, you know?"

"I know. But he's old enough to take care of himself. Besides, work has it's tail wrapped around me at the moment."

"It always does." Matsuru sighed. "That sounds a bit pressurizing though, the 'he's old enough' part, that is."

"It's true though."

"Amazing, really." Akari stared straight as well. "He's still staying strong, even after what happened to his mother."

A picture of a certain demonic bijuu flashed before Ichiro's eyes. "…Yeah…"

"Sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" Ichiro looked to his left as if the man just swallowed a bottle of crazy pills. That in itself sounded crazy already.

"That I brought it up… the… your wife…"

"It's fine." The leader of Team Nine solidified his expression once more, taking note of what's ahead of him. "I learned to live with it."

…

"Anyway," Akari looked to his right, taking in the left side of his friend's face, "I better get going. I wouldn't want to be scolded by my niece for being late to our training session again."

"How's little Ino doing by the way?"

"She's not little anymore, man." Akari rolled his eyes. "And for how she's doing? Her uncle Ichiro just have to find out for himself."

"Party pooper."

"You're the one to talk. Anyway, check ya later."

"Yeah."

-Empty-

A tick formed on top of a certain boy's head, eyebrow twitching uncontrollably. "Could you two _p-please _just get a grip a-already?"

"I can't let go," Sakuri said next to the Genin, feet moving adjacently to the others, "not while her filthy paws keeps snaking their way around you."

"It's called a love embrace, baka." The cute neko shot a not-so-cute gaze back across her hubby's position. "Something _you _wouldn't understand."

Daggers were being thrown by eye contact over the poor boy's enflaming shoulders. "Of course I understand something as cruel as a one-sided, forcible strangle."

_This fucking bitch doesn't want to quit, does she?_

"What did you say, _dog?" _Mimiru spoke over the voice in her head, but couldn't agree more. "You're just a green-eyed monster who doesn't know when to quit."

"Funny, that's exactly what I was going to say about you."

"How original."

"You're the one who –"

"Stop it!"

The sudden utterance caught both Academy girls off guard, but the disconnection between themselves and the their affection was even more so. "H-Honey!" Mimiru exclaimed a bit too loudly, although near bystanders were already focused on the scenery. Both girls watched the green haired boy practically stomp away from them, heading off.

"Don't follow." Ken turned his head, halting his pacing for a moment. "Until you t-two find common g-ground with each other, I d-don't want to be around both o-of you at the same t-time."

"But sensei–" Saku-chan tried raising a hand, wanting to string him back with consideration.

"I'm serious, S-Saku-chan." Ken turned his head forward, and took to the soil path ahead, leaving the two stunned in the dust.

"…This…" Mimiru glared devilishly at the girl next to her, earning a glare back with equal capacity. "…This is all your fault."

"My fault?" The Uchiha asked incredulously, still at an angered temper.

"Yes, _your_ fault!" The neko clenched her hands in front of her, as if aiming to knock the girl unconscious. "If you haven't gotten in the way, none of this would've happened."

"You delusional little feline!" The accused gritted her teeth, Sharingan still active. "_You're _the one who had gotten in-between sensei and me!"

"Garbage!" Haruno leaned closer, nearly clashing foreheads through heated words. "I knew Kennii-chan before you stuck your nose in our business."

"That may be true." Sakuri half-agreed, not really knowing when her sensei and this little pest actually met, and was not willing to argue against it since her own eyes unfortunately only opened recently to the incredible person her special someone really was. "But that doesn't make my feelings circumscriptive. I… I _love _sensei just as much as you do, probably even more."

"Crazy talk." Mimiru crossed her arms insolently. "What you are feeling for him is nothing compared to what I feel. Love doesn't just happen like that," She clicked her fingers for emphasis, "there has to be a reason for why you feel so, for anything actually. What you are feeling is puppy love and nothing more."

"No, it's not." Sakuri furrowed aggressively, becoming more offended compared to the more calmer way she responded before Mimiru's explanation. "It's pure, as how you would like to describe your affection. I…" She bit her bottom lip when she caught herself from continuing, but did so anyway. "…I was in a dark place before I met Kennii-sensei."

The young female neko's eyes widened a bit from the sudden change in attitude from her adversary, but narrowed her eyebrows to keep her toughness in check.

"I was young back then, but I still had an idea on what happened to the majority of my clan." Sakuri shook her head a bit to try and keep herself from thinking too deep on the matter. "It's funny how things can suddenly take you by storm. One moment you're laughing and enjoying life, loving the people around you, only to blink and find out that the same people you love will never be able to return it… anymore." 'What am I doing? I barely know her, let alone like her! Why am I pouring myself out to someone who's trying to take my Kennii-sensei away from me. I should stop myself before I say anything else.'

Sakuri's eyes looked up from it's lowered position and stared into the now stoic yet camouflaged eyes of the blunette before her. 'But… maybe this is what is needed to keep Kennii-sensei from hating me any further. I've been so possessive of him recently, more now than ever, even though he's his own person and what he chooses to do has no business with me.'

"_**Ken-kun's his own person. He doesn't need a little pipsqueak looking over his shoulder every ten seconds."**_

Sasuku's words rung out in the little girl's head, her bottom lip being bitten again. 'My sibling was right. But the reasoning behind her words couldn't be any further from the truth. Still, if I could patch up what was harmed between the two of us– between Mimiru and myself– then maybe I'll be forgiven for the rude behavior I've shown in front of him. Was this what my sensei meant when he said he wanted us to find common ground?'

_What is she doing?_

Mimiru's eyes softened from the sound of her inner voice, although it was mostly because of what the answer was instead of the question itself. 'She's opening up? Why? Because of what hubby said? Because she wants me to feel pity for her so I'll let go of my attachment to Kennii-chan?' Mimiru's eyes narrowed again. 'Sorry, but not happening. I've already had my own Onee-chan, who I thought I could trust with anything, try to do the same thing you're doing right now. At least, the end goal was the same.'

_Not letting go of him._

'_Never _letting go of him!'

Taking a deep breath, Sakuri opened up some more. "It's like the world turned upside down after that; everything that was known to me turning dim and lifeless. I couldn't find the joy in most of the things I did, much less wanting to do it in the first place. Sure, I had my sibling and maternal parent as supportive pillars, but the pain was still there. It wouldn't go away. Not that being isolated in class because of my clan's history ever helped in the slightest. It was an inextinguishable hatred in my heart, until…'

"Until Kennii-chan came along." Mimiru muttered sub-consciously, suddenly feeling some unwanted empathy.

Uchiha looked up into her jade eyes again, nodding after a few seconds of recognition. "He was… _I _actually was the one who came along. I needed help to gain more strength than my peers had back at the Academy, to… to tower over them to be blunt. He wasn't the sensei I was looking for though, and yet, he turned out to be everything I ever needed." The dark haired eight year old girl smiled fondly at the memory not too long ago. Although to her, it seemed like only yesterday she had given her sensei the cold shoulder. Something she regretted very much. 'All that time misbehaving like that… when in hindsight I could, I could've… I'm sorry, Kennii-sensei. I'm so sorry.' She shook her head a couple of times, the thought too painful to conjure up. "It wasn't after a while, maybe about a week in under his guidance, that I finally noticed how important he was in keeping me sane from the solitude of my pained heart."

A moment of silence surrounded them for the most part, the Uchiha finding nothing else to say that was important about the subject. "That is why…" She made eye contact with the female as old as her, Sharingan not only full of stubbornness, but also an extensive amount of determination. "…I won't give up on my Kennii-sensei, even if my life was on the line. That's how important he is to me… he is to my life."

_She…_

The girl's voice trailed off for the shocked expression she had on her face.

_She's saying she's willing to give up her own life for our hubby…_

Mimiru kept staring, not sure how to respond to an exact replica of her own feelings. No matter how much she was to deny it, she couldn't run away from the fact that this girl– Sakuri, had the same ideologies based on Kennii-chan as hers. If everything what this Uchiha said was truly what laid inside the bowels of her heart, then denying her– fighting against the love struck girl in front of her, would actually be her emotional downfall as well. Since if their minds had the same thoughts on Kennii-chan, then Sakuri losing her opportunity would be felt by Mimiru also. And just the thought of such a feeling rising up to her heart was a painful experience the young neko would rather forget than to be reminded of for the rest of her life.

Their feelings for the Genin were practically in sync with one another.

_Mimiru…_

"I…" The small Haruno member looked down in deep thought, a look of a frustrated interior battle forming on her face. "…you… really feel _that _strongly about my hubby?"

Sakuri frowned at the last word being uttered, but nodded firmly nonetheless. "More than anything."

_What happened to killing anyone who stood in our way?_

'Be quiet.' Mimiru sighed deeply.

_I don't like this._

'Neither do I… and what did I _just _tell you?' "I guess I can't deny the feelings of a hopeless romantic like you, since we're technically sailing in the same boat." She scratched the back of her head, still annoyed.

"So…" Sakuri's eyes widened in realization. "…you accepting my feelings for Kennii-sensei?"

"I suppose." She shrugged. "We both have our reasons for loving him, so the only problem is who he truly likes the most."

The young Uchiha narrowed her eyebrows at this, but decided to focus on another part of the girl's sentence instead. "What's your reason for liking him then?"

And so, with the air thinned to a sustainable level, two of the thousands of leaf villagers found themselves tolerating one another, though a hint of displeasure still lurked between the young women.

"So, you were bullied because of how you looked?"

"Yeah." Mimiru replied almost plainly, kicking her legs back and forth which hung from a nearby bench they sat on. "But I don't regret not being bullied."

"What? Why not?"

She turned and gave the Uchiha a grin. "If I wasn't, then I might wouldn't have met Kennii-chan, now would I?"

"…Still," Sakuri started, understanding what she meant though still against it, "being glad that you were picked on sounds a bit masochistic."

"Maso-chisti– you mean– h-hey!"

"Not my fault." She smirked back, holding an arm up to cover herself from the girl's attacks. "You're the one who said it."

"I didn't mean it like that!"

"Sure."

"Argh!" She pouted cutely, crossing her arms and looking away in distaste.

"Heh," Sakuri shook her head after a moment of silence, "I can see why Kennii-sensei would want to hang out with you. You are somewhat cute."

"N-Nani!?" Mimiru breathed in shock, ogling at the Sharingan user like she just said she was going to pop her eyes out or something. "Y-You really have a weird way of talking to people, huh?"

"Hey, don't try to put me in the same shoes as you." Sakuri furrowed.

"Well, you seem to be the only person they fit!"

"Why you little–"

"Not again!" Their ears perked up at the sound of a familiar voice, having their heads turn next to Sakuri for the source. A green haired boy stared back tiredly. "And here I th-thought you two finally got things s-settled between you guys."

"Kennii-sensei?"

"Kennii-chan?"

"Where did sensei come from?"

"Was hubby here the entire time?"

"I was." Ken sighed. "Well, for the m-most part. When I heard that y-you guys were opening u-up to each other, I went and b-bought both of you some ice cream." He reached out with the two freezing ice consumables in each of his hands, both pair of busy female eyes finally noticing the delicious treats before them. "But as soon as I g-got back though, I'm met with a f-flashback of forgotten–"

"Are those… for us?" Mimiru leaned in with interest, her eyes eating up the appearance of refreshing coldness on a warm sunny day.

Ken frowned at the interruption, but decided to let it slide if it meant that the two would get along again. "Yeah. Here, enjoy."

The two female companions stared curiously at the identical favors coaxing their eyeballs. "Vanilla?"

"Huh?" Ken opened his eyes from his eye-smile.

"You bought two vanillas?" Mimiru seemed disappointed at this. "Hubby couldn't spice his selection better?"

"Wh-Wha…?" Ken seemed at a loss of words. "But I–"

"I agree." Sakuri frowned. "I mean, I wouldn't mind Vanilla–"

"Me neither." The little neko next to her said during the Uchiha's words.

"–but any other favor would've done as well."

"Hey!" The Genin out of the three seemed offended at their pickiness. "I didn't kn-know none of your preferences, and I w-was planning for it to be a s-surprise, so I decided to g-go for plain."

"How disappointing."

"I know, right."

"Hubby can be so mediocre sometimes."

"Tell me about it."

"Wh-Wha… b-but I… why am I b-being victimized here!?"

They couldn't help it, the two girls started laughing so hysterically at his flustered reaction. Ken just watched, not liking how they were treating him right now.

"Well, hubby _did _run away and left his date behind, not to mention another young woman. How ungentleman-like."

"Yeah." Sakuri bit her tongue at the word 'date', much less the repetitive 'hubby'. "Next time, be more considerate, Kennii-sensei. I know this is not the trait I know my sensei by."

"I…" He trailed off, finally bowing his head in defeat. Two against one, and with good points as well. "I'm s-sorry, you two. Now that I think a-about it, that really wasn't the b-best choice to make."

"It's fine, my handsome hunk." Mimiru took an ice cream.

"Yeah, so long as Kennii-sensei understands his mistakes." Sakuri took hers.

A choir of 'arigatous' pleased his sunk heart, his face looking up and meeting the gaze of two smiling girls. Two _adorable _little girls. He couldn't help it. He smiled back.

'Well, as long as they're getting along, I don't really care about anything else.'

"Oh, by the way sensei," Saku-chan took a lick of her cone, "where's your ice cream cone?"

"Yeah, I was wondering that myself." Mimiru mentioned before taking a lick as well.

"Oh, well, I didn't g-get one for myself." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "The treat was mainly for th-the two of you, so I wasn't thinking about myself." 'Also… I actually ran out of Ryo.'

"Well, if that's the case," the cute neko got him seated between the two. "Wanna share mine?"

"Sh-Share?"

"Yeah." Her tail swung eagerly behind her, a 'strawberry-favored ice cream' tone meeting her cheeks as she smiled warmly at his taken aback expression. "I'm sure it'll be really romantic."

"Hey," Sakuri furrowed, pulling her Kennii-sensei by the sleeve closest to her, "I think you got enough moments with my sensei, so it's only fair if I get some as well. H-Here," She looked shyly into the gorgeous eyes of redness before her, her own bright blush forming, "eat mine instead, sensei."

"That would have been a good argument for you, if only this _wasn't our _date."

"As far as I'm concerned," The eight year old prodigy glared across the green-haired Genin, right into the eyes of a tugging Haruno, "your little 'date' ended as soon as I came to the rescue. So if you disagree with the conditions, I suggest you beat it, street cat."

"Dog!"

"Bitch!"

"Dog!"

"Bitch!"

"And here w-we go again." Ken sighed deeply, wishing the ground would just swallow him whole already.

-Empty-

"Hey, Koto?"

Damn, and she was just about to enjoy a relaxing yawn too. It was interrupted by the unforeseeable call of her name. Her baby blue eyes shifted from her squinting half-forced yawn, looking over her reading material and taking in the appearance of her sibling. "What's the prob, imouto?" Her apathetic voice asked back with a pop of her lollipop.

"You know I'm older than you, right?" Ino deadpanned, her own blue eyes staring back lazily, walking in their room the two shared.

"Only by a few minutes." The blonde answered the rhetorical question, twisting the thin stick in her index and thumb nonchalantly.

"Which still makes me the oldest." Ino rolled her eyes, walking around yet still interacting with the girl laying soundly on her side of the room. "Anyway, I was wondering if you haven't seen my ninja purse anywhere? Uncle Akari is coming over soon and I think I misplaced it."

"Same ol' Ino." Koto rolled her own pair of eyes at the blonde practically prancing around impatiently for said purse. "Have you checked your drawer?"

"Yes."

"The living room?"

"Yes."

"Your waist?"

"Ye–" She paused, looking down but not finding the priority. "Not funny."

"Certainly fooled you." Koto's mouth uttered an amused yet lazy chuckle below her nose ring.

"Can't you just let me borrow yours for a second?"

An eyebrow raised on the relaxing twin's face. "That's a dangerous move you're suggesting, Ino." Then her usual frown transformed into a deviously playful one. "I like how you think, sister."

"If you look at me like that, then I almost positive I'll regret doing what I'm about to do even more."

"Why not use mine for your training?" Koto reached out and tossed her ninja tool kit across the room almost without a care in the world. "It'll save you time, and a plausible scolding from father."

"Thanks, but no thanks." Ino caught the clanging metal wrapped inside. "I'm already a bother nagging each time I need your help. That's not what an 'Onee-chan' does at all."

"You're right, it isn't," Koto's lazy followed the girl out the door, "it's something an imouto would do instead."

"Stop calling me that!" She poked her head in the doorway, glaring her displeasure to her twin. "I'm older than you."

"By a few minutes."

"You have a bad sense of arguing."

"'That's not what an Onee-chan does at all'." Koto's voice tried mimicking the feminine style Ino spoke in.

"Shut up!"

Soon though, the supposed Goth on the bed heard the disrupting noise of pots and pans and any other metal sounds going off like a chain reacting bomb.

"Told her." Koto rolled her eyes, popping the wet, red lollipop back in her complying mouth, going back to reading some Icha-Icha Paradise on top of some random book she chose to use to camouflage the smaller, more 'adulterated' book. Kami knows how much trouble she'd be in if her father found out about what her true interests were.

Sure, she was a Goth at heart, but blood and demons really didn't had her attention more than some, ahem, 'other exciting' aspects of life. Not even her favorite blonde downstairs fumbling like a klutz knew about these things of her. Best friends never always equals no secrets.

Speaking of blondes…

"Hey, need a hand down there?!" She shouted in her typical dispirited way, even though the breathtaking words in one of her auspicious volumes of the series told her to stay and continue to read.

"No thanks, I got it under control."

Well, that's her clue. Honestly, her imouto really needed to find a better way to ask for help. "Okay, I'll be down in a sec." She hid her book in a box under her bed– not the most promising hiding place, she knew– before heading down with coated sweetness in her mouth. Gosh did lollipops rule! And wreak of potential 'dirty' definitions.

Wink, wink.

"I said I got this!"

"Stop rushing me, okay? Your Onee-chan is going as fast as she can."

"You're not my older sister!"

"Only by a few minutes."

"Again, poor arguments!"

"Woah, what a mess. Dude, you really suck at keeping a room clean, huh? Don't worry, your Onee-chan's got your back."

"Stop it!"

-Empty-

"Are you sure you don't want to come in?"

"Sorry, Mimi-chan," Ken scratched the back of his head sheepishly, though his face showed an apologetic expression, "I gotta get S-Saku-chan home soon, and she's p-probably still hungry."

"I-I'm not hungry." Saku-chan gave her sensei's hand a squeeze, not appreciating how embarrassing he was making her. As if hearing her denial, her stomach gave a familiar growl, and not a gentle one either. The girl merely choked on her own words, looking down with a bloody red face making it's way to her ears. 'S-Stupid stomach! Kennii-sensei will think I'm a glutton or something, even if I barely ate anything at all together.'

Kenjo just chuckled at her misfortune. 'Poor girl. I should've known she barely filled her stomach with anything today. How many times did I arrive at her home only to be greeted by her waiting for me? If today was no different, then she probably skipped lunch as well. Didn't I tell Naruko and Sasuku-chan to give Saku-chan the message that I'd be coming around later?' His eyes gave the top of the curling Uchiha's head a glance, her posture leaning into his as much as possible, as if to hide herself from his– maybe even everybody's– judging gaze. 'But I guess that's just Saku-chan for you. Sweet and adorable. Gosh, I just wanna hug her right now.'

"She knows the way home, doesn't she?" Mimiru argued, not seeing how the other girl's famished predicament needed the presence or help of her hubby at all.

"I'm pretty sure sh-she does," Ken nodded back, "but it wouldn't be p-proper to send her home. She _did _c-come all the way for my sake after a-all. Besides," Kenjo gave the little girl's hand a gentle squeeze of his own, "I'm her s-sensei, who's e-expected to tutor her when time comes. And if w-we hurry, I'm sure we can fit an hour or s-so of training as well."

Sakuri's heart skipped a beat with what her Kennii-sensei just said, her eyes softening from their embarrassed downcasted direction. 'Kennii-sensei… he… he would go so far as to do something like that even if time is against us? And after a long da– 'get-together' with Mimiru, he is still determined to tutor me for the day…?'

"You're teaching her?" The little neko on the front porch of her house seemed surprised by this news, though it made sense with the way the Uchiha kept addressing her hubby. 'I thought she was just desperate, or being ambiguous. I really didn't think my darling dove was actually teaching _her_.' Then, an idea popped up in her head. "Could…" She fidgeted with her dress, "could you also teach me, Kennii-chan?"

Tayamaru looked surprised by the sudden request, not expecting such a proposal, or at least not right then. 'Is it because I'm teaching Saku-chan that Mimi-chan wants to be taught as well? Again with the jealousy. So bizarre if that were true. I mean, I wouldn't mind. I'll be actually pretty honored to be a sensei of not only one, but two dedicated ninja-in-training, especially at an age of twelve. But… do I _really want _to, is the question? If it was one of them, yeah, but both at the same time? I'm grateful to be asked to be a teacher, but at the end of the day, I'm also still a student. I don't know everything, and I'm definitely not the best around to teach the things I know, which is exactly why I'm learning as well. I am also a ninja climbing the steps. And with the free time I'd be using to help both of them take each step if I _do _take both of them under my wing at the same time, how would I find free time for myself to help build the staircase for my own dream? I won't. At least, I don't think so. I can barely keep up teaching Saku-chan and myself every single day. Sure, I could cut it down like maybe three days a week instead of seven, but how effective would my teaching be if I did that sort of thing? I'm not good already, and to be less than what I currently am, Saku-chan _alone _would be better off to be taught by someone certified to teach, if she isn't already.'

"Absolutely not!" Ken's eyes widened from his thoughtful look, turning his attention to the girl next to him who seemed more than pissed off by the idea.

"Why not?" Mimiru narrowed her eyes disapprovingly at the little man-stealer.

"Not only does Kennii-sensei already have a student to tutor, but if he were to teach you as well, then we'd only be a nuisance to him and his own queued time for himself to train."

"S-Saku-chan…" Ken mumbled in astonishment, his student's offensive reasoning catching off guard. Wasn't… wasn't what Saku-chan just said technically the same compared to what he just thought as well? Was she reading… Was she a mind reader? Or did he accidentally speak his mind out loud without knowing?

"I…" Mimiru seemed conflicted by the interjection, deciding to rethink her words with a troubled face. "…I guess you have a point with that. I… I understand."

"Sorry." Saku-chan said with a calmer tone, a little remorseful with how quick it was to get through to her. "I know you'd like to strengthen yourself with as much help as possible," She dug her body more in the fabric of her Genin individual, "but I was here before you, and my fidelity to my word outweighs any compromise set in front of me. Maybe when things have gotten to a point where my need for Kennii-sensei's tutoring isn't as heavy as right now, I'll reconsider dropping the spot to you." Even though she said it with a firm grasp over her voice and Kennii-sensei's hand, the idea of letting go of someone so important to her shook her in her boots– or wooden sandals– to no end. Hopefully, she wouldn't be expected to let go of the fishing pole despite the many fishes she'd might have caught in the near future. After all, just like fishing becomes nearly impossible without fishing material, she wouldn't be a ninja without her sensei by her side.

"Sure." Mimiru seemed uninterested of the unfair offering, but wasn't about to let go of the only ticket given to her for the trip to her hunky angel's training camp.

_You know, we could just end her to take her place right now._

'Not now, you.'

"Well, we'll be seeing y-ya later, k?" Ken decided to greet at the reminding sight of the orange sky.

"W-Wait!"

The sudden calling made Kenjo flinch in surprise, his widened eyes staring back at the calming neko. The little girl closed the gap between the two with two steps, gazing back into his red orbs. "Aren't hubby forgetting something?"

"Forgetting?" He raised an eyebrow, looking at the flustered girl in front of him. Her fidgeting came back to haunt her though, as Mimi-chan couldn't help but stare somewhere else other than his fixated stare.

"My…" She pursed her lips with hesitation, knowing full well of the situation and it's foreseeing consequence if her mouth continued by itself. "…M-My kiss, hubby."

The red blush forming on the boy's cheeks couldn't be any brighter at the hearing of those words, especially at a time like this. R-Right in front of her house, where they might be watched from the inside right now, or the door could swing open with demonic meaning.

Squeeze!

Ken's hand was wrapped more tighter, as if to suffocate it. Sakuri's grimace returned, even more unpleasant. "Not happening."

"What? But– but you got kissed before, so why can't I?!"

"Don't care."

"What happened to sharing?!"

"Never said about sharing."

"Why you little–"

"What? Are you bigger?"

"You guys…" Ken groaned, slapping his forehead involuntarily.

Creak.

"What's all the ruckus abo–" Mebuki stopped whatever she prompted herself to say, her eyes betraying the shock on her face.

…

"K-Konbanwa, Haruno-sama." Ken bowed his nervous spinal cord in respect. 'Damn it! I was planning to leave before anyone noticed.' "J-Just here to drop off Mimi-chan."

Mebuki watched the boy from earlier, stand up to address her properly, then at the extra soul in the group. "Konbanwa." The young Uchiha prodigy lifted the corners of her mouth into a kind smile.

"Uh, Konbanwa." Mebuki said absent-mindedly, perplexed as to why an Uchiha of all people was here as well, let alone the youngest of the survivors. 'Wait a second,' Her eyes widened at the sight of the contact being made between Kenjo and Sakuri, 'Wh-What… they're… wait, what's going on here?'

"I'll see ya later, o-okay Mimi-chan?"

"But… my–"

"_**Your m-mother seemed like she was g-going to strangle me."**_

Mimiru's raised hand lowered once again, looking back at the woman behind her.

'She…'

_They're all trying to stop your love for our darling dove! That Uchiha girl, mother, Onee-chan. Everyone. We have to get rid of them as soon as possible._

'They're…' The little neko's face scrunched up a bit at the thought of all the people she thought she could've trusted before being stabbed in the back. 'Sakuri, mommy, Onee-chan–'

Sakura's face flashed before her eyes, smiling with her caring nature, or at least the nature Mimiru thought was pure before. But then… why would… this afternoon she… why did she… allow…

_Are you listening to me? We have to get rid of them as soon–_

'Sh-Shut up!' Mimiru grimaced at nothing in particular. 'I heard you already, just… give me some time to think, okay?'

"Honey, it's getting late." Mebuki spoke, looking at the girl who still stood alone from outside, though right in front of the opening of their home. "I think it's time to get inside, don't you think?"

The pointy eared Academy student glanced up at the motherly face, the gears in her head still working. 'I… I would've… killed them all…'

_Then why aren't you!?_

'Onee-chan, she… she gave our date… she gave her approval.'

_That doesn't mean anything._

'What? Why would you think that?'

"Honey…?" Mebuki's face resembled her unnerved mood to the little statue before her. "What's the matter?"

"I…" She started, trailing off only to pick up a few seconds later, "nothing… nothing."

_She's trying to gain your trust again. Don't you get it? So our Onee-chan can shove it back in our face!_

'Sure, but then, why? Has she not done that before?' Her feet sub-consciously made for the steps.

"I assume you have eaten on your… date, honey," The orange haired woman said while the steps were being climbed, "so your plate of food is in the microwave if you're feeling hungry later on, okay?"

No words. Only a simple nod.

Mebuki frowned at the little girl making her way up top, not even deciding to look at her with that nod of hers. 'Is she still mad at what I did this afternoon? I mean, she didn't look upset. She looked carefree and excited… like always. Maybe she had time to reflect on my actions while she was outside. Or maybe… maybe that boy did something to her?! Is that it? Could that be it?! Oh no, I gotta, I have to inform the Hokage of this, _anyone! _My baby was just taken advantage of and here I am doing nothing about it. I shouldn't have let her go. I shouldn't have given her away to that… that demon without putting up a fight! I'm such a horrible mother. I can't protect my children. I can't do anything right!'

"_**Kenjo will take good care of Mimiru on their date. He's really trustworthy."**_

'Sakura was wrong. I don't know why she would say that to me, but she was wrong. He isn't trustworthy. Never has been, and never will be.'

"_**I've been in the same class as he was back at the Academy, so trust me when I say both of them will be fine."**_

'No.' The mother of two shook her head rapidly, as if she was aiming to rattle it off of her neck. 'Mother knows what's best, mother knows what's best, mother knows what's best…' Her eyes stared back up to the top of the staircase where Mimiru disappeared to.

'…Mother knows what's best, honey.'

**-Empty-**

**End of Chapter**

**And scene… for the chapter. I was planning to put in some more scenes, but I decided against it and made it it's own chapter (next chapter) instead, since this one is already Ten-K-Plus long.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and it's contents, even if it had a linear path in the end.**

**Until next time.**

**-Narurific-**


	19. Water and Oil

**Chapter 19**

**Water and Oil**

**-Empty-**

The air never changed, even with the emotional sigh piercing it's particles. Inuzuka Tsume lied, mattress deformed with the sudden weight, with slit-like eyes meeting the soundless ceiling above. Her eyes never met the familiar flat overhead this early in the day, though on a few occasions, that fact becomes less solid with each contradiction. Such as now, but that was only if she was feeling physically fatigued.

This time however, her mind was the one doing the fatiguing.

"Argh!" She ruffled her spiky black hair with the long nails she kept sharp for obvious reasons. "I'm so fucking stupid! I just had to say something about Ken-kun, didn't I?! Damn Hyuga! It's all that man's fault for provoking me like that!" Her head fell back on the pillow it lifted from in frustration, although the frustration was still there. It was there ever since she left with a shunshin. "How could I have fell into that trap so easily!? I should know better by now that arguing over Ken-kun will only bring more bad than good. But what am I suppose to do, forget about the kid?"

"_**I love you, momma."**_

She bit her bottom lip hard. "How can I do that when he's the only thing I think about when I'm in that stupid council. It's like a broken tape recorder pausing and resuming each time I leave and enter. If I just didn't listen to those stupid visions of mine, I wouldn't have taken the kid home that day and just send him back to the Orphanage, then Kibira and I wouldn't be going through so much drama right now. Stupid kid. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid…"

"_**I… I don't love you back, Ken. I hate you. I hate you so much. Just go back to where you came from already."**_

"…s-stupid…" The direction her anger was shooting toward was steadily swaying to herself. "…I'm the one who's stupid." Her forearm laid over her eyes, becoming a roof for her softening, yet pained orbs, covering their shame as well. "I should've have listened to the visions, or least not _that _time… when I decided to chuck him away from our lives… But would that have been the right choice then? Wasn't the vision enough of a reprimand as it was? What am I even thinking? I don't know what should've been done anymore– what I should bedoing _right now_. Kami, I really fucked things up for more than my family, huh?"

"_**The Orphanage? Oh, y-you mean you o-officially a-adopted me, momma?!"**_

'His face lit up so much back then. I could see it in his eyes. Those red eyes of his. Fireworks were going off behind them. He truly believed he was going to be adopted. That he was going to be part of a family. Of our family. I just had to put out those fireworks, huh?' Her thoughts landed on absent minds, no ears to read them if her mouth was doing the thinking instead. 'Argh!' She fumbled with her hair a second time, her nails threatening to stop her mind by digging through her scalp. 'What am I doing? I shouldn't be thinking about that stupid child, especially if I don't have the council around me as a good enough excuse! In fact, he should be out of my head by now! Damn it, Ken-kun, stop invading my time alone!'

"_**I love you, momma."**_

"Mom?"

"I… I love you too. I always have, and always will, no matter what."

Kibira gained a confused expression from the sudden declaration. "Mom?" She repeated.

"Wh-Wha…?" Tsume finally sat up, her eyes refocusing their frontal vision. "Kibira? What do you want?"

"I was just wondering if you're planning to make dinner or not? I don't want to stir anything up if you're already preparing to."

"I…" Tsume trailed off, her head suddenly feeling a bit woozy. Her right pedicured hand gripped her head harshly, a grunt departing through the interludes of her teeth.

"Mom?" Kibira put on a concerned face at the sight of her mother feeling distressed, Akamari next to her carrying half of her burden. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, it's nothing." She shook her head lightly, but quickly, blinking a few times to pull herself together. "I'll be down there in a second to get the food ready."

The Team Eight member just stared at her maternal figure with uncertainty, though after a while she decided to not make a big deal out of something her mother seemed to prefer as a small nutshell. Hopefully it wasn't something ominous.

-Empty-

"_So," Ken started, shirtless and connected to some tubular contraption. It wasn't too eye catching; just some chakra paper strapped to the other ends of the tubes, blue sounding wisps releasing themselves from one end to another. He wasn't really sure what they were for, though they seemed important to whatever extend was needed to break the fuinjutsu. Or at least, that was what Mizuki-sensei said, "how f-far are we? I don't really feel a-any different from when we f-first started this, so I can't really t-tell if we're making good progress o-or not." 'Or any progress at all really.'_

"_Oh, we're getting there," Mizuki smiled, scribbling something on paper as always, and as always, Ken wasn't shown what was being written down on the distant scroll, "don't you worry your youthful little head about it. You said you're not feeling any changes through your interior self, correct?"_

"_Yeah." Ken nodded, and then received more hard pressed scribbles as a response. He sat awkwardly on the chair, the silence becoming the norm as of late in this home Mizuki seemed to live in. It didn't seem like much of a home, although he couldn't judge. What crapshoot gave him the right to compare? The living room, or so it seemed given the front door being right there, was dusty in a way that actually filled the empty spaces usual furniture was expected to be. It was nearly unfilled, as how it was with any other room under this roof they were themselves under. Only a few drawers scattered around that appeared to be used for unknown purposes other than tools for his situation right now. But hey, at least he had this chair to sit on, and a single counter for Mizuki-sensei to work on, so that's a plus, right?_

"_Could I ask what are th-the chakra paper for?"_

_No answer, or maybe there was going to be, if Kenjo didn't feel the need to elaborate. "I-I'm not trying to question Mizuki-sensei's methods or anything, I just… well, there a-are obviously a connection being made between th-the papers and me, right? I can even s-see it– the chakra current– and yet, I'm n-not feeling anything changing in my ch-chakra flow."_

"_They're needed to locate the crux of the seal, Ken-kun."_

"_The crux?"_

"_Yes." He put the pen down and turned around, a smile across his face. "Those are not normal chakra paper, they're specifically designed to detect the pillar of which a seal is standing on. Think of seals as these giant temples. As with most buildings, especially temples, there are support pillars holding it in place. Some pillars rely on others to keep themselves stable and in check. If main pillars fall, they fall as well. Almost like a line of dominoes. Although, just like the initial domino piece, independent pillars are not affected by the others, which makes them the crux of the temple. The most important piece of them all. If you locate and knock down that pillar, the whole temple is usually scheduled to brake apart as well."_

"_So basically, we're looking for th-the seal's weak point?"_

"_That about sums it up."_

"_But then," He looked about his body, tubes attached on each arm and each side of his ribs, "wouldn't th-the point be near said seal?"_

"_That, you are right about." Mizuki's smile continued. "Unfortunately, this seal is a bit tricky. You see, it's imprint barely has any points at all."_

"_Barely any poi– what do y-you mean?"_

"_I'm saying this fuinjutsu is highly ranked as one of the strongest forbidden jutsu ever. So strong that it's chakra signal literally scatters to an unspecified field in the host, making it difficult for it to pinpoint. What makes it even more difficult however, is the change in frequency."_

"_Frequency?"_

"_Yes. The frequency is the specific level of chakra needed to exploit it. Not too little, or too much, as old saying goes. So without these special chakra paper with tweekable frequencies, it's technically impossible to release the seal without the caster's assistance."_

"_Wow," Ken's eyes widened with amazement, and a bit unease, "that… actually s-sounds crazy powerful."_

"_Tell me about it. That is why I'm writing down notes, to keep track and not repeat the same frequencies and appendages." 'Amongst other things. But he doesn't need to know that.'_

"_Just hearing this," The young Genin looked up into the calm eyes of his former Academy sensei, "makes me admire y-your generosity even more, M-Mizuki-sensei."_

_The man's smile widened. "Anything for a student."_

'_Only if that student is gullible enough to be robbed without knowing it. Like taking candy from a baby.'_

"_Hey," Ken's eyes darted to a sudden ray of light reflecting through a curtain-less window, "it's already morning."_

"_So it seems." Mizuki frowned through the nearby window, the land they lived in being lit by the warmth of the summer morning. 'Another night, another chance. I'm getting more and more personal information out of him each day– that he's here, that is. Damn it, if only he stopped with his subject changing bullshit, I would be more closer than I am now. But I guess too much will make him suspicious, or at least he seems smart enough to be perceptive. Hopefully he won't catch on with the rate we're going by.'_

"_Wow," Ken was still surprised, "t-time really flies when you're g-getting your seal removed. Or it c-could just be the company."_

"_Guess time's up."_

"_Yeah." Kenjo detached the tubes with a bit of disappointment. Sure, he needed to get the day going regardless of how he felt of it, but the sooner he got this done, the sooner he'd be able to mold chakra alongside his teammates. Then he'd finally be able to feel like a real ninja. Like a proper ninja, whose goal of being a prominent ninja could finally be reached without so much factual disturbance in being 'ordinary'._

_Still, today was going to be a busy day for him. 'I should really think about how to make my day with Mimi-chan special enough for our first hangout. With any luck, I'll be making her smile as how she has been for this past few glimpses I caught with my eyes. Man, that girl can really be the pillar of cuteness when she wants to, huh? Pillar... Funny, it's something Mizuki-sensei was talking about just a moment ago.' He waved goodbye to said sensei, exiting the building fully wrapped in his usual clothing he wore. During these 'sneaking out' times, to avoid suspicion from the people you sleep with, you should not forget to redress in your outdoor attire if you're going to stay the whole night out and not return home until later on._

_Home…_

_Ken's smile faltered. 'That's not my home. It's the Uchiha's. I don't fit in there. Not only am I not an Uchiha, but I'm not a true ninja yet. Naruko's at least one of those things, and besides, who wouldn't want her as a member of their clan? She's just so talented, smart, wonderful–' He shook his head for the lost of his focus. 'I do that a lot, huh? Trailing off, especially when it comes to Naruko. Gosh, how I wish I could look right next to me and see her look back instead of looking forward all the time and trying to catch up.'_

_His palms balled forcefully, covered by the pockets of his plain blue pants. 'My goal is too far to reach out for. I need to close the gap with less time wasted. To do that however, I need to constantly train myself– _push _myself over the limit. Burn my body with experience, expand my mind with more knowledge. More, and more and more and more. Keep it up, no relaxing… Well, I suppose ever since I became a sensei– still can't believe the chances of that– I had to make room for Saku-chan's sessions as well. I mean, it's not _that _bad; I can keep up the pace without feeling like my body has slowed down with it's regular absorption of practice that much, but even still, is this good for what I'm aiming for? A constant pace means the average amount of experience not dropping or rising drastically, and yet with Saku-chan…'_

_Ken shook his head rapidly, the thoughts criminal to his brain cells. 'No! I will not allow myself to think like that! Not anymore! I've had this accusation at the back of my head ever since I was told I was expected to train the cute ball of talent, and to be honest, back then I really wasn't completely into it. Although I was so sure when I finally warmed to the idea of tutoring her, those blaming thoughts would be foreign to me just as how they were before this whole tutoring situation became a reality. So then, why the fuck am I still blaming her?! It's not her fault she's cute and needs a sensei to lend a help. Everyone needs one now and then. So no regrets. No regrets being her sensei, you idiot!'_

Kill yourself.

'_Damn it! Shut the hell up, whoever you are! Your random appearing is getting old fast. To the point where I would rather yawn up than to frown down. So stop it, already!'_

You're so eccentric. Yelling at yourself inside your head. If only everyone can read your mind. They would pity you even more after that. That's what you want, right? Everyone's pity. The pity that would lead your fall to a comfy cushion rather than a rocky shore, right?

'_That… that was long time ago. I don't want others' pity anymore. It's not what will make me strong as a ninja. I'll just receive an overwhelming amount of service than camaraderie support.'_

The latter is a fantasy, and you know it.

'_No, it's not. It's… why am I even having this argument with myself? I should be more focused on what's–'_

_Oof!_

'–_ahead of me…'_

_Tayamaru shook his head, the feeling of bumping into something subsiding. With the number of things he had bumped into this past month, he could only hope it was _'something' _instead of _'someone'.

_He wished he kept his eyes closed though._

"_You."_

"_Me." Ken sub-consciously said, earning an even narrower look from the pure clear eyes of the Hyuga._

_Hanabi did _not _look happy at all._

-Empty-

"I see they gave you an earlier break for once." Kibira commented, seeing the entrance being closed behind a certain red-streaked face female making her way to the table.

"If only you can give _them_ a break." Inuzuka Hana ruffled the sitting girl's raven hairstyle, giggling lightly at how annoyed her baby sister became.

"Welcome back, Hana." Tsume's voice laid refuge on the two siblings' ears, coming from the entrance of the backroom.

"Hey mom. You seem early than usual." Hana said from her place near Kibira, watching the Haimaru brothers racing to the backroom for their long awaited dinner. They gave Tsume a herd semblance of barking gratitude before joining Kuromaru and Akamari in said room. "I guess my nose was right in assuming you were here though."

"You picked up my scent?" Tsume's eyes showed disbelief at what she had heard.

"No," Hana chuckled, "the delicious food being made. I usually take the initiative and stir up something for Kibira and I to chow on. But if I'm not here, and the smell of overcooked failure didn't escape opened windows, then my baby sister was thankfully not the one behind the kitchen counter."

"Hey!" Kibira glared at the back of her sibling's head.

"Heh, just kidding, Kibimouto." She smirked at the young Genin, attempting to ruffle the girl's hair again, but Kibira leaned away in annoyance. "I wouldn't use facts to _roast _you… maybe."

"You two." Tsume shook her head with a sigh. "Always arguing."

"I'm just throwing her a _bone, _mom. Nothing perso_nail_._" _She showed her red pedicure for emphasis, before flopping down next to the girl she had been standing over for a while. "Come-meerkat, so your Onee-chan can give you a big, fangy kiss on the cheek."

"I'd rather not." Kibira tried to crawl away, but was grabbed and yanked back to the older female. "H-Hey!"

"Hay is for horse-_sis, _Kibira."

"That's an old one, even for you, sis." The Genin placed a defying hand on the leaning forehead of Hana.

"You can't teach a dog new tricks. I _taught _you knew that already."

"You just called yourself a dog, you know?"

"It was all for the sake of 'come-a-_deer'_."

"Gee, stop it with the animal puns alread-_deer._" Kibira tsk'd. "Now I'm saying it."

It was impossible to prolong it any further; the eighteen year old burst with laughter.

Tsume rolled her eyes, though a smile crept onto her features. Same old Hana. Always trying to liven up the mood a bit too much. Ever since she was eleven. Wonder where she got that trait from anyway?

"I can't help it." Hana wiped a joyful tear, Kibira's smile unable to stay down from the corners. "I'm just in such a good mood lately."

"Something happened at the Vet?"

"I mean, the day was pretty much hectic as usual." Hana sat up properly, the two absent-mindedly waiting for the plates to be placed in front of them. "I took care of the patients as swiftly as I could, and the smiles leaving those doors really made my day, but something else was– _is _giving that extra spring in my step, you know what I mean? I don't know what it is, but I'm lovin' it so far."

"There you go." Two plates of food were gently put down in front of the two sisters, their eyes ogled hungrily at the steaming sensation of the identical curry and mash potato on each white surface, delicate rice being thrown into the mix on one side as well.

"Itadakimasu!" Both said humbly, though Kibira had a more hurried tone.

"You couldn't wait for your mother to settle as well?" Tsume growled, making both sweatdrop at the menace backing up the woman's words.

"Gomen nasai." They apologized at the same time, bowed their heads in shame.

"Itadakimasu!" All three of them finally spoke their thanks after peace shoved disrupt through the window.

Their mouths moved, taking in the delight of their mother's cooking– truly divine. Although, Kibira's mind wasn't in it; it was extracted by distraction. Locked in her mother's room. In purgatory with the words she overheard.

"_**I… I love you too. I always have, and always will, no matter what."**_

"That was great, as always, mom. Arigatou gozaimashita! I'm gonna take a shower. I smell like a dog– the best smell there is."

…

"Hey, mom?" Kibira called after she was sure Hana was out of hearing range, or at least she assumed the veterinarian was, due to her inherently good earring.

"What's the matter?" Tsume started scrubbing the stains off of the deposited plates.

"Who were you talking about back in your room?"

The scrubbing stopped, like a device suddenly short-circuiting. Tsume was facing away from the preteen, her Jonin vest forgotten to be taken off ever since she came home mentally exhausted. Kibira felt an uncomfortable shiver going up her spine at the sudden silence in the room, or rooms– the living and kitchen connected like Siamese twins.

"Talking about?" She questioned calmly, scrubbing still not resuming.

"H-Hai." Even though her mother wasn't facing her, Kibira still felt uneasy just by knowing she somehow struck a cord. Something you wouldn't want to strike when Tsume was the instrument, though unable to avoid touching the note due to plain-old curiosity. "You were saying you loved someone, always have. It couldn't have been me, since mom didn't even know I was there at the time."

"Does that really exclude you or Hana from being the object of my affection?"

"No, I mean, it's really weird," She scratched her cheek, looking away, "you barely say you love us at all."

"…What are you trying to say?"

The tone was becoming more fierce. Uh oh. "I-I wasn't implying that mom doesn't love us! I just–"

"Spit it out already, Kibira." The woman reprimanded, impatience evident. "What are you trying to say?"

The question was repeated, this time, it felt more directive than swerving with unnecessary rage. "Were you…" She paused, not sure if what she was about to say was something that was needed to be said, especially to the already troubled woman before her. Not to mention the assumption being hit over one Elemental Country to another; it was a long shot if Kibira was expecting it not to backfire. "…were you talking about Ken-kun?"

Clang!

Kibira flinched, heart pumping faster at the sudden sound. The plate in Tsume's grip was shoved down in the stack of glassy saucers, cracking it in multiple places.

…

"…Don't assume stupid stuff, Kibira."

"I doubt it's stupid."

Tsume bared her sharp teeth.

"You still care, don't you…? About Ken-kun?"

"…"

"Mom?"

"I don't care about him."

Kibira's eyes widened at those words.

"_**I love you, momma."**_

"He was here because he was injured. So I nursed his injuries so that he could leave on his own two feet."

"You… took care of him…" It would've been a question, if it wasn't already known by the Team Eight member, "…and yet… you… could've easily sent him to Konoha hospital."

"I…" Tsume bit on her bottom lip, struggling to keep herself under control. She was being cornered, not by Hyuga Hiashi, but by her own kin this time. This twelve year old child of hers.

"_**I should know better by now that arguing over Ken-kun will only bring more bad than good."**_

"That wasn't an option."

"Why wasn't it?"

"Ken…" Both Tsume and Hana mouthed the three letter word, the former actually voicing it compared to the hidden latter behind the Shoji door, fist clutched tightly over her throbbing chest. The name stung her memory thread, the thread threatening to break along with her watering feelings.

"He wasn't… I… It was, I just had to, okay?"

"But why?"

"…"

"Because you care about him."

"_**I love you, momma."**_

"You considered him part of the family as much as Hana and I do."

"–_**y-you mean you o-officially a-adopted me, momma?!"**_

"And yet, you chucked him away, not let go, not prompted, _chucked away."_

"_**I hate you. I hate you so much. Just go back to where you came from already."**_

"Why did you chuck him away? Why mom? Why!?"

"…"

"Answer me!" Kibira's voice started to break up, tears beginning to fall once more.

"…"

"Don't ignore me, mom! I'm tired of not being told the truth! Why is it so difficult to tell me!? Why!? Just tell me!"

Kibira took a step, then another, then another, with each demand uttering from her spewing mouth.

"He was my best friend, mom, and you took him away from me!"

She gripped the shuddering shoulder of her mother.

"Why–"

Wham!

Hana gasped behind the door, putting a hand over her mouth in shock. The tumbling of someone hitting the fridge, then floor, rung through her unfortunately good hearing. The one time she wished didn't have good hearing. Didn't have hearing at all. She wished she wasn't here to listen to all of this in the first place! She could picture what it looked like through the walls before her. She could picture it was accurately. Cursed her mind. Cursed her ears. Cursed her everything!

Kibira finally realized where she was. She was in the kitchen. On the floor. Running a dripping nose. Being towered over by.

Tsume's furious eyes stared her down like a boss aiming to kill their lackluster minion in front of a crowd of witnesses. Kibira merely stared back up, a hand gently touching her nose.

It was slightly skew.

It was snapped to the side.

By her own mother.

By her own motherly figure.

Who stared her down like an enemy ninja at war. Thirsty for blood.

But that couldn't be true.

Who was this person again?

Inuzuka Tsume was being counterfeited.

This was not her mother, it was an imposter.

Those eyes. That snarl. Her deep, steaming breath.

Who the fuck was this person!?

"Go to your roof. Now!"

Sprinted, then gone.

"_**Hey momma?"**_

"_**What is it, Ken?"**_

"_**You're the **_**best **_**momma i-i-in the whole wide w-world!" He stretched his tiny, five year old arms outward, exaggerating his point.**_

_**Even still, Tsume couldn't help but smile fondly, those words hitting her right where it had the most effect.**_

_**Her heart skipped several motherly beats.**_

Tsume's eyes finally lost all rage, realization finally dawning on her.

"_**And you're the best **_**son **_**in the whole wide world." She nuzzled her nose against his button-like one, receiving a cute, boyish giggle. A giggle that resembled someone who hadn't lost all life, who still hadn't lost all hope… yet.**_

'What… what have I done…?'

-Empty-

"Next time, could Kennii-sensei please inform me before leaving me waiting at home all day?"

A bead of sweat ran down male skin. "I-I'm sorry, Saku-chan." He lifted his hands up in defense. "But in my d-defense, I told Naruko and S-Sasuku-chan to tell you I was g-going to be late for the d-day."

"They were more defiant than anything else." Sakuri scratched the side of her head in annoyance, her slightly throbbing, reminiscing vein needing to be 'friction-d' away.

Ken eyed her with a questionable look, his mouth opening to express his countenance until his eyes locked onto some detail painting the girl on her hand.

Wait, was that always like that…?

"Saku-chan."

"Hmm?" She glanced toward her favorite Genin, confusion hitting her outer features at the sight of his serious face. "What's wrong, Kennii-sensei?"

"Your hand."

"My hand?" She looked down at her eyeing hand, her appendage not seeming to interest her in any way. "What of it?"

"It's bruised."

…Oh, he was right; it was. Surprised she overlooked that obvious fact. "Oh, right. I think I remember getting them dirty when I was trying to halt myself." She revealed her other hand to both of their eyes. Nails darkened in dirt, fingertips masqueraded in earthly germs. The rest of her palms were taken under the tip's wing, seeming like they rolled in the fingertips' dirty teachings.

"Halting yourself?" Ken raised an eyebrow above widened eyes, her skin being nearly scraped open. "What h-happened?"

"I got in a bit of a tussle with my sibling." Sakuri put her hands down to her sides, instead of grabbing his gloved hand again. "And, s-sorry that I made your glove dirty. I forgot all about my hands' condition."

Her voice and head lowered in embarrassment and regret, which only astonished the boy even further. 'How could she be thinking of something like that at a time like this?' "Forget about a-apologizing, are you okay? It s-seemed like the 'tussle' was a bit too w-wild." He stopped her in her tracks by turning her from shoulders to face him. Her wrists were held gently yet firmly, being lift up to Kennii-sensei's gaze.

Sakuri couldn't help but blush at this. "Y-Yeah, I am. It's really nothing, Kennii-sensei."

"What happened?" Ken asked again, looking up to her eyes for a moment of importance. "Why did y-you two fight?"

The young Genin noticed the change in attitude from the little eight year old, her eyes narrowing, although the pair of black spheres didn't seem to direct their emotion toward him despite Kenjo being the focus point of her vision. "It was all my sibling and the blonde's fault. They didn't want to cooperate."

"Cooperate? W-With what?"

"With my questions of your whereabouts." Her face softened a bit. "You weren't with them when they arrived, so I asked them where you were. They didn't want to tell me."

"That's it?" Ken was taken aback.

"Yes." Sakuri seemed confused herself by the response. "I… I needed to be sure there was nothing negative happening to you, sensei." She lowered her gaze a bit, the older boy's green scarf coming into focal point.

"Saku-chan," Ken sighed at the reasoning, "there was n-no reason to really ch-check up on me."

"I, but," She bit her bottom lip, looking back into his glorious orbs– _orb, _his unique green hairstyle covering his right eye. Just the sudden realization of how deep she could daze off into their crimson grasp made her heart skip several inevitable beats. Her throat suddenly felt dry for some reason, swallowing hard to keep their close contact at the back of her mind, "I just… they said you were da– h-hanging out with someone… with a girl…"

Ken rolled his eyes almost playfully. "Saku-chan, you're s-such a worrywart, you kn-know?"

"Wha-What?" She blinked, cheeks burning up. "I-I don't… but I, I mean, it's not like I mean to be." She looked to her side, eyes shadowed in dismay. 'Great. Now look what you've done, idiot. Now he's really going to think you're a needless paranoiac. He's never going to open up to someone like you.'

"H-Hey," Ken's rather panicked voice caught her off guard, a gloved thumb caressing the corner of her wet eye. "Don't cry Saku-chan. I d-didn't mean it in a bad way."

"Wha…" Her voice was on the verge of breaking, head being tugged to meet his gaze. "…What do you mean?"

"It's okay to b-be a worrywart sometimes." He flashed a kind smile, his eyes softening from their panicked look. "It means y-you care, Saku-chan, which is always a-a great trait to h-have. Just, I'd rather h-have you not waste y-your time on me like th-that all the time, especially wh-when nothing bad will h-happen."

"Kennii-sensei…"

"In any case…"

A sudden chop on the top of her head woke her up from her admiring gaze, gentle yet meaningful. "Ow! Wh-What was that for?" She frowned, rubbing the designated spot with the hand that was released to whack her with.

"…You shouldn't f-fight with your family like th-that, especially over something as m-mundane as my predicaments." He opened his philosophical gaze to stare at the rather upset face Saku-chan was scrunching up. Her pouting lips were just causing her furrowed expression to be even more cuter than intimidating.

"C'mon," He stood up, holding her right, dirty hand with his own possessively, "let's go so w-we can clean your stubborn butt up."

"H-Hey!" She jabbed him lightly with her free hand, his body flinching from the sudden contact through his ribs. "I wash everyday, thank you."

"I doubt that." He continued with his playful smile, looking down at her big, cute black eyes. Amazing to think those same gentle eyes could turn into a fierce red with a blink of an eye… pun unintended.

"Wha-What are you saying?!" She nearly crushed his hand in her grasp with intended force.

"Sorry." He laughed, despite the grip she held him in catching him off guard. "I couldn't r-resist."

"Gee," She narrowed her eyebrows, jabbing him for the second time, again, light. Even if she had the audacity to even think of punching him harder than how she was right now, Sakuri would never really do it. Not to him. Not to her special sensei… who she again realized was taking her for a fool! "I never knew Kennii-sensei could be so mean."

"I'm kidding, Saku-chan." He tried justifying himself. "I only k-kid around like this with p-people really close to me."

"C-Close to you?" Her eyes widened, suddenly feeling conscious with the distance between the two, not to mention the hands holding onto each other like… like they were a… a… c-could somebody get her a water bottle already? Please? Oh, and a medic, cause her heart was literally going to burst free from it's cage the way it was speeding up to match the speed of lightning. "I-I-I… well, urm…" Then, before she could embarrass herself even further with how pathetic her words fumbled around in her mouth, her mind caught up with a specific accusation. "W-Wait, with only the ones close to you? B-But," She looked at their gripping hands, seeming to be glued with affectionate pastry, "you never kid around like this with me before."

The green haired boy seemed skeptical about the true meaning he couldn't grasp through the dark ambiguousness her words hid behind. What did she mean by that? Yeah, sure, he wasn't acting like that before, but does that really change anything? He didn't think so– oh, _oohh. _"Saku-chan," He smiled at the girl, almost chuckled at the very thought of the true meaning behind her accusation. He ruffled her black hair, her eyes shutting by the unexpected contact, looking up at him with confusion when his playtime with her hair was over, "just because I d-didn't act so playful w-with you before doesn't mean I didn't consider y-you a precious person of m-mine back then."

He looked straight ahead in thought, her eyes still focused on his gorgeous facial features, at least to her they were.

"I guess the reason I k-kept myself from being c-carefree with you was because o-of how ineffective it could be to tighten our f-friendship in more ways than o-one."

"Ineffective?"

"Yeah." He nodded solemnly, his memorizing thoughts ravishing his brain. "I guess one of the r-reasons was that based off Sasuku-chan's a-attitude from before, I was a bit cautious stepping over l-lines when it came t-to the Uchiha m-members. I mean, I know e-everyone's d-different from one another, but I g-guess I didn't wanted to take the g-gamble. Moreover, the main reason w-was because…"

He looked back at her, her eyes concentrated with wonder.

'Wait,' The cute girl's gaze hesitating him, 'is it really okay to continue? Sure, as how she told me before, her knowledge of my status around the village is evident to her, but explaining your past attempts to play with the Orphans would just raise depression to the conversation. I don't want to sour the mood with my past experiences to joke around with other kids who found my entire presence to be alarming, much less my so called 'misleading' jokes and interactions. I gotta improvise. If I just leave it like that, then she might pry for the truth I want hidden from her. I have to think of some save. Compliment! Compliments always saved me before, from people who are clueless from the hatred of the majority of the villages at least. Right? Yeah, compliment her. Corny or not, so long as you can keep her from the truth. The truth. The inevitable… truth…'

Shaking the mental head conjuring such thoughts, Ken managed a smile and spoke to the awaiting female.

"…because your cuteness is j-just too intimidating sometimes."

_Can't get cornier than that. You stupid fuck!_

"N-Nani…!?" Sakuri almost tripped, ears bloodshot red.

Ken couldn't help it, he burst out laughing once again.

"Gee, s-stop laughing, doofus." She complained, leaning her upper weight against his side. 'He's such a tease. D-Dammit sensei! You're so unfair… You think I'm cute, huh? No matter how many times you say it though, I just exaggerate my reaction like a darn schoolgirl… But that's fine. So long…' Her other hand snaked her way to his arm, gripping the sleeve selfishly. '…so long as you stay by my side, I'm content with whatever happens.'

A certain neko's face flashed across her mental visage. Her face twitched to a angry snarl momentarily.

'Except _those_ things.'

-Empty-

_They called._

_She didn't answer._

_Why would she?_

_They called again._

_She didn't answer, obviously, walking through the early morning to her destination._

_She knew she was going to be scold out when she got home, but she really didn't care… all _that _much._

_Her father's face could really scare her sometimes. But what was the point in eating your food without any flavor? It would be fruitless, or tasteless in this comparison. So some spice was necessary in situations like this, especially if her escort wouldn't give her a second of isolating peace._

'_Natsu-san can really be too absorbed in her job of being my caretaker. I'm not a kid, mentally speaking. I can walk myself to the Academy; the path is practically engraved in my mind. If only she– no, my _whole clan _could comprehend the single idea of leaving me with my devices now and then. A forceful hand might be needed to open their eyes if all else–'_

_Oof!_

_Her butt kissed the ground, hard._

_The timing of that couldn't be more perfect. She was not stupid, her feet wouldn't lead her astray into a wall with the evident trail in her knowledge box. Someone had to have been the cause of her downfall._

_Her eyes flared up to the culprit, only to widen in shock at who she made eye contact with._

"_You." Hanabi sneered harmfully, sending daggers in the green-haired boy's direction._

"_Me."_

_He had the audacity to amuse the situation they were in. Why this insolent…_

"_A-Are you okay?" Ken finally snapped from his shock, crouching with a reaching glove._

_She stared at the appendage, then back at him, before glaring menacingly, causing the 'problem' to flinch in it's dark blue pants. She reached with her own hand, though it was used to slap his away rudely._

"_Do not ask about my well being, you, you…!" She bit her tongue. Really now, she literally had to be chained up to avoid shredding this horrible person into tiny little pieces._

"_I-I'm sorry."_

"_Do not apologize!" She grimaced, standing up herself. "At least, not to me!"_

"_Huh?" He blinked. "Then… t-to whom?"_

"_Do not play the dumbfounded card with me, you sick person!" She balled her fists in pure rage._

"_I… what…? I, don't really u-understand."_

"_Yes, you do!" She took a threatening step forward, the person in front of her taking a respective step back himself._

"_I honestly d-don't." He shook his head in confusion, eyeing her sadly. "Are you t-talking about Saku-chan?" He remembered distinctively that day, last Tuesday was it, when he and Saku-chan left Ichiraku after the Uchiha's snack time. The two young females stared menacingly at each other, almost as if wanting to commit a felony right then and there if only society wasn't destined to punish them if done so. Since then, he knew there was a 'beef' between the two. Since he could only recall a single encounter with the Hyuga girl, Saku-chan should be the designated person to ask for forgiven from, for reasons unknown to him obviously, if not Hana-chan herself._

"_Saku-chan? You mean the Uchiha?" She questioned after the confusion over the honorific was canceled from her ponder. Honorific… honorific…!? "No," The little prodigy shook her head, "that is a separate problem from this."_

"_But then… I r-really don't follow. Who else a-am I expected to a-apologize to?" 'Separate problem… She and Saku-chan were once close friends, until others' opinions took over Hana-chan's initial perspective of the girl. I wonder though… she said it was still a problem, so that means their friendship hasn't been patched up yet. Which means they're missing the glue between each other that stuck them together, and someone else might be needed to think of a solution instead if things are still going as they are right now amongst them. Saku-chan and Hana-chan…'_

-Empty-

"Two prodigies from d-different clans…"

"Hmm?" Sakuri hummed next to him, looking up next to her with curiosity. "Did sensei say something?"

"…"

"…Kennii-sensei?" His face was unresponsive, yet concentrated in a cycle of thoughts. "Is something wrong?"

"…Saku-chan…" His gaze broke from the frontal path, her Uchiha orbs dragging him into a rather tense stare. "…I n-need you to do something for m-me."

"…Of course." Her hesitation was mainly due to the unknowing reason for his change of dynamic. "Anything for you, Kennii-sensei."

He started speaking, only for Sakuri's eyes to widen at what he began to say. When he was finished, the girl's eyes couldn't be more bigger, though she couldn't feel any smaller in the shrinking bubble that was her resistance.

Was she capable of doing such a thing? Even for her sensei? Sure, she would do anything for him, and that meant _anything, _but it was easier saying such things compared to actually doing it. No. No, she wouldn't think so. Kennii-sensei did so much for her up until now, and she had no doubt he would do even more. So then, why couldn't she do this simple task?

_Simple_ task… A task… like that is just… so…

-Empty-

Knock. Knock.

"Come in."

Creak.

Eyes met.

Mouths stayed closed.

Creak, click.

"Hey there," Sakura stood against the closed door, flashing a smile, "how was your day with Kenjo?"

"…" Mimiru just stared at the older female, almost as if her gaze was meant to decipher her presence for actually being in here… aside from the little neko's prompt to allow her onee-chan to come in, in the first place.

Sakura felt her eyes wanting to dart anywhere other than the intense silence her younger sister was giving her, but they just ended up on the green orbs of the cute, yet bitter girl, regardless of her mutiny against her own eyes. The older Haruno sibling chuckled drily. "I hope it went well. Considering Kenjo, I doubt he wasn't gentle and consider of your opinion."

"…"

She bit her bottom lip nervously, finally looking down to the floor long enough that looking back up wasn't called for anymore. Still, she wanted to be frank with Mimiru when she made up her mind to consult her about what happened. If only her intense gaze on Sakura could screw off for a much appreciative one. Nevertheless…

"W-Well, see ya."

Wait, what!? That wasn't what she wanted to say! Stop avoiding, you stupid body, and hands off of the knob! Turn around and speak your mind already! But… why was it so difficult for her to do just that? Why was Mimiru so intimidating with that silent attitude of hers. It was obviously better than the cold shoulder she kept shrugging at the pink-haired kunoichi ever since, right? Or was this the new way she expressed such an emotion, her emotions to her. To Sakura's actions on the little neko's young self?

"_**Just remember, you shouldn't force yourself or your ideals on others."**_

Ichiro-sensei's words rung in her mind, her hand stopping on the handle, not turning.

"_**Try to give them time to get accustom to their surroundings and the idea of being around foreign ideals from outside their usual thought line."**_

Sakura took a deep, calm breath, and turned around. "Mimiru," She said firmly, her eyes locked onto the calm ones of the laying feline girl, "there's something I would like to say."

The girl just kept staring at her, an assortment of memories scribbled and colored onto blank pages, her Kennii-chan exposed on every single one of them. The drawings were like a haunting reminder of how she typically viewed Mimiru's feelings for this fellow Genin of hers. How against it she always was. Was her previous perspective of it still the same? She wasn't sure anymore, not after agreeing with Mimiru's time with Kenjo and forcing her mother to withdraw. Were people who rebel against a single ideology really willing to agree with them at times? Sure, it might have just been for simplicity's sake– her sister's heart not breaking from their mother's disagreement, even if Sakura was the first one who said the girl's feelings were false– but still. That was the moment the kunoichi had been waited for this whole time, right? Mimiru's wakeup call. Something she was unable to do to the girl by herself.

Yet here she was, replaying the same scenario for the nth time, where she herself was the decider of where Mimiru's point of view would end up. Again, her sensei's voice echoed in her clogged mind. This was it. Mimiru's trust in her would either crumble deeper into the pit of disfigurement, or be revived with vigor.

"About what happened earlier today, in the front room." She almost shook in her shoeless feet, socks the only thing keeping her body from feeling the prickling carpet head on. The youngest member of her clan kept silent as before. This honestly reminded Sakura of how she poured her heart out about how she neglected the girl before, because of some stupid reason involving others' opinion. Mimiru was silent back then, and was kind enough to comfort her after that whole ordeal. Would this have the same outcome? With their relationship ending up being patched up again? If she played her cards right, maybe Mimiru wouldn't deny such a result.

_Hopefully…_

She made to open her mouth to elaborate, but what they heard wasn't her voice.

"Mimiru!"

Sakura's eyes widened at the vibrations from downstairs, figuratively speaking.

It was their father.

"Coming, daddy!" The small girl called out, putting down her belongings on her bed and got off from it.

Sakura stuttered with her words, not knowing whether to stop the girl and get the problem over with between them before Mimiru could stroll down to ground level.

"Do you mind?" The pointy eared girl raised an eyebrow, standing before her onee-chan who stood in-between her and the exit.

"Oh… yeah…" Sakura moved aside, watching her sister leave without another word.

…She was all alone now, in her sister's room. The pink-haired kunoichi pursed her lips with frustration.

Damn it! There went her chance; slipped right through her fingers. She supposed it wasn't that big of a loss, since they could resume when the girl came back up.

"Yes, daddy?" Mimiru finally set foot on the same surface her parents were on. Her cheerful smile, fake or not, disappeared almost immediately when her parents' expressions made contact with her jade eyes.

…What was going on?

"Mimiru," Her paternal figure started, eyes almost sadly looking straight into her confused ones, "I heard you hung out with a… _friend _of yours. Is that true?"

"You mean hubby?" Mimiru questioned, only to realize her daddy might not know who this 'hubby' of hers was. "Yes, I had a date planned with Kennii-chan. It was amazing." She smiled almost dreamily, if only her father's usually charismatic and carefree attitude didn't turn into… this. "Is there something bothering daddy and mommy?"

"Your hubby…" The man murmured to himself, the word leaving a sour taste in his mouth. Despite murmuring, even Mimiru from a few feet away could hear it, let alone see his tanned lips wording her suspicion. This immediately made her uneasy, since it wasn't normal for her father to be like this. Not only that, but the implication of the rest of her family– not to mention others from outside– seeming to deny her chance to be close with her future husband seeming to dwell over the shoulders of her father as well. Was he really going to turn against her as well? Just like her onee-chan? That Sakuri chick? And even her mommy, based on the opinion of her darling dove?

"_**Your m-mother seemed like she was g-going to strangle me."**_

No… no, that couldn't be it. Not her daddy. Not the carefree idol in the family. Not him. Right?

"What was the meaning of it?"

Mimiru blinked out of her spiraling thoughts. "N-Nani…?"

"Why did you hang out– _date _him?"

"Wh-Wh…" She trailed off, confused, in denial. His attitude to this was leading her to only one conclusion. No, no! It couldn't be! Why was everyone against their unconditional love for each other? Why!?

"Listen to me, honey," Kizashi's started firmly, finding her shaking head as a matter of rebelliousness, "I'm only going to say this once, okay? You shall not– _never again– _make contact with that boy, understood?"

"No, _no_..."

"I don't want to hear anything else on the matter."

"No…"

"Stop it, Mimiru." He began to glare with an aching heart, her distressed and gritted teeth hard to keep a straight face for, at least for him. He did not know how his wife, Mebuki, was taking this from behind him, though he doubted it was easy for her as well, since her complaint when he came home from work just a few minutes ago was anything but calm and peaceful.

Apprehension…

"No, no, no…!"

"You will." He began to show more offense.

"No!"

"Don't give tongue to me, young lady!"

"No!"

"Mimiru, listen to your father–"

"NO!" She galloped up the stairs, tears trailing behind her as footsteps.

"Mimiru!"

"Get out!"

"H-Hey!"

_Slam!_

…

…

…

"…What now?" Mebuki managed through a panicked tone.

"I think she already got the message." He sighed, not feeling accomplished one bit. Not as an ideal father, at least. Damn it! Work was already a bundle of stress, and to try to separate it from his home and family with an easygoing smile was something he always needed to pull off. Not only for his sanity with the weight on his shoulders, but for the ones he loved as well. So to come home with distressed news, as well as to break his opinion down to the youngest of his children, was just too much for his head.

A migraine was beginning to take form. He rubbed his forehead in dismay. This was definitely not his day, huh?

Hopefully it couldn't get any worse, right?

-Empty-

Chain reactions were never as easy to predict as one might think. They were impromptu; sudden. Sometimes with the proper calculations, they were able to be pinpoint. But that was not always the case, especially if the chain took place somewhere out of one's radar.

"Explain to me what happened today at the Academy, deary?" Unlike a certain father in a certain family of four, Uchiha Mikoto's posture and expression wasn't one of complete trouble. Though, that had no relation with what she was truly feeling from within. Especially if she was expected to leave early from work because of what she was told happened at the Ninja Academy. With her youngest daughter the star of the show. A show that wasn't really something someone would be hyped to be part of.

Her early arrival at home also kept her from attending the weekly scheduled council session of Konoha. Hopefully her presence wasn't really needed back there. Her arrival wasn't very pleasant though; Sakuri wasn't at home, nor was Ken-kun. Only Sasuku and Naruko-chan. So she had to wait patiently for their homecoming, which was right now, in the evening, when every other thing based on her daily schedule during work hours would've been finished. She lost a bundle of Ryo for the end of the week, sending her a step closer to be fired due to her lackluster performance at her occupation, and waiting worriedly at home for her child, even though Ken-kun might have been there for her, because of something disagreeable happening at school earlier today.

To sum it all up, she was furious. Really furious.

But even still, there was no way the mother of two could ever be _that _mad at her children, or anyone close to her for that matter. Not externally at least. And even if she could, she wouldn't. It wasn't in her nature to, especially when it came to young children who lost almost everything they loved, including their fatherly figure. She was the only person left who could provide for both of them right now; Sasuku's income as a Genin was unfortunately not a constant flow of cash, especially with how peaceful things were during this month.

The only person left.

Still, let it not be said she wouldn't scold them out when it was necessary. Like right now.

"I…" Sakuri trailed off, knowing far too well what her maternal symbol meant. Everyone else around them– in the front room– was not following. It was the first time they heard something like this.

The young Uchiha member knew what she did would soon bite her in the behind. Everything came around eventually, and what she did to those Academy kids was no exception.

Although, that didn't mean she wasn't prepared, or so she had thought. Now confronted by her single living parent, things suddenly felt more hotter and stressful. _That _was to be expected though, and yet she overlooked it so easily.

"It's not what mother thinks what happened." Sakuri tried defensively, trying to keep herself from breaking from her calm approach. It was really difficult though, the way her mother kept staring her, not to mention the other eyes around her.

"Then explain yourself, young lady." Mikoto's tone almost had impatient demand behind it, but the distraught was suppressed by her usual calm attitude toward everything in life.

Sakuri opened her mouth, then closed it, not knowing whether her actions were truly justified by reason. Wait a minute, what was she saying? "They were disrespecting Kennii-sensei."

"Ken-kun?" Naruko and Sasuku voiced lowly behind the young girl, the boy in question surprised without any vocals.

Mikoto was about to retort to her explanation, until Ken-kun's name was brought up. She closed her mouth a bit in retreat, but soon questioned nonetheless. "What happened? Was it something they said?"

Everyone waited patiently for the girl's reply, a reply that took it's time to collect itself. She remembered it distinctively, almost down to every small detail.

"_**Iruka-sensei?"**_

"_**Hmm?"**_

"_**I have a question about a certain disorder."**_

"_**Disorder? What kind?"**_

"_**A speech impediment."**_

"_**Speech… impediment?"**_

"_**Yes. I would like to know if there is a cure for it. Maybe a medical prescription, or some kind of method to overcome it?"**_

"…_**Well, I'm not quite sure if there's a drug to nullify a speech impediment, but it is possible to overcome it with hard work and therapy."**_

"_**Therapy…"**_

"…_**Sakuri-chan?"**_

"_**Yes?"**_

"_**Does this have something to do with Kenjo?"**_

"_**N-No, of course not. Why… why would you… think that?"**_

"…_**Just an assumption."**_

"_**Well, it doesn't have anything to do with Kennii-sensei."**_

"…**Kennii-sensei**_**?"**_

"_**I-I mean, Ken-kun– K-Kenjo… Excuse me, Iruka-sensei."**_

…

"_**Have you heard?"**_

"_**Heard what?"**_

"_**Word is going around that that Uchiha brat is being taught by that Kenjo guy."**_

"_**Kenjo? You mean the dude my mom told me to stay away from?"**_

"_**I heard he wasn't able to pass any practical test at this Academy."**_

"_**Yet he's a Genin?"**_

"_**He was probably drafted because of how pathetic he was."**_

"_**Hah! That's understandable."**_

"_**Wait, you mean someone like that is teaching an Uchiha?"**_

"_**What a joke! That's the most hilarious news I've ever heard."**_

"_**That Uchiha brat's probably going to downgrade to his level with what she is being taught."**_

"_**What a bunch'ah idiots."**_

"_**Yeah, a bunch of idiots."**_

"They," Sakuri bit her bottom lip in frustration at the distinct memory burning her mind, "they were saying such disgusting things about my sensei that I… that I just couldn't ignore and send a blind eye to. Their words made me more angrier than when they bullied me before, so much so that I just couldn't help myself."

"Bully?" Mikoto's eyes widened in shock. "You were being bullied? When?" Her initial thoughts on how her child traumatized the suspended children back at the Academy was due to just that.

Suspended because of how they misused a kunai against a fellow classmate. Thankfully, Sakuri just received detention due to it being self-defense. Her threat to a child's throat was almost a felony against the Academy's rules as well, if not for her professional handling of the weapon and a lack of actual murdering intent from the girl, or at least, that was what the committee was told.

Bullying. When she was first told about the incident at the Academy involving her youngest child during her work hours, Mikoto had thought they bullied her hand to the peak of no return. She expected that was the reason she'd put a kunai near the throat of one of her own fellow classmates. It wasn't.

"Since I was accepted as a student." She said almost nonchalantly at the fact, her emotions still aimed directly at how maddening it was to listen to those bastards' words about the person she cared for the most. "Their numbers were always intimidating to me before. It was why I wanted to get strong, to take all of them on. To be trained. To be tutored. But along the way, that became irrelevant to me. To be stronger than others who only brought jealousy to my heart."

Ken frowned at this, even if it was a touching moment for Saku-chan to open to her family. 'They were the same guys who stole her first ever friend, so of course she would've been driven by jealousy. Poor girl. Some kids– _people_ are really fucking clueless as to how their actions might affect others.'

"_**Demon!"**_

"_**Monster!"**_

"_**Burn in hell!"**_

A frown pasted itself on his features, eyes subtly faltering to ground level. His head shook itself. Now wasn't the time to mull over his own personal issues.

"So it wasn't out of spite over what _I _wanted, but to fight for Kennii-sensei's honor at their besmirching attitude." She clenched her fists in respects to how painful her heart was feeling each time her mind pressed the replay button on their words.

"…_**how pathetic he was."**_

"That was why I fought them. That was why I threatened that bastard by the throat with his own kunai. It was necessary. All of it was necessary, if only to show them how wrong they were of sensei's teachings, and how special he was compared to everyone else." Her face scrunched up a bit. "They deserved to just to go and hang themselves."

Ken's eyes bulged, more than the others.

_Hang yourself. Hang yourself. Hang yourself!_

"Sakuri!" Mikoto reprimanded with a gasp, her statement more troubling than her vulgar language. "Do not speak like that."

"It's true, is it not?"

"No, it's not."

"So mother does not care about Kennii-sensei?"

"Of course I do."

"Then you should understand where I'm coming from." She placed a calm, yet emotional hand on her chest. "People who acts so cruelly, with no respect for the living, should just die."

"Sakuri–"

"They should take our clan's place!"

Everyone flinched at how powerful she spat that out, her voice risen with tears.

"Father– every single m-member that was slaughtered by my older s-sibling," She clutched the fabric of her shirt, her eyes burning from subsided memories. Memories of a tragic past. First time she actually spoke of it was to that Haruno girl, but this time felt different. More painful to speak about. Maybe it was due to her audience being her very own mother, not to mention the other special people in her life around her. Or maybe it was because of how her heart was spewing more feeling of it out than before, like a fountain of despair. She didn't know. She didn't care. She couldn't stop. She had to get it off her chest. The cage was open, and the key was lost.

Sakuri continued where she choked up from, swallowing her tightened throat for the moment of will to overcome the literal physical pain the little eight year old had boggled up for so damn long. "–every single innocent soul that was slaughtered by the hands of that bitch of a sister doesn't deserve such a cruel fate like that. She, and all of those little shitheads at the Academy should take their place. _They _deserved it, no one else!"

"S-Sakuri…" Mikoto bit down on her bottom lip to keep herself from breaking as well. It was turning out to be fruitless. Even Sasuku from behind, not to mention Naruko and Kenjo, had found themselves sulking with a mourning expression, their faces dropping with sadness. The older sibling of two gritted her teeth to avoid her own collapsing form.

Their fortresses were cracking up in desolation, much like the girl's voice. Saku-chan's little fragile legs were threatening to give way.

"Saku-chan…" Kenjo almost choked up through all the verges of tears from everyone in the room. She didn't respond. Her shoulders shivered. Her voice hiccupped. Her front masking away behind her back. She couldn't break down in front of him– in front of all of them. They would witness how hurt she was, and would try to comfort her from the pain. But the pain was the only thing she had to drive her forth with. Forward… toward revenge.

Revenge upon her sister. She knew her other sibling felt the same way. She knew it was a curse of the Uchiha to be filled with revenge. She knew all of those philosophical bullshit. But she didn't care. She held onto it for so long, to one day get back at that selfish and awful person she dread called a 'sister'. So she wasn't planning to open her palms to have it escape; that wasn't what she aimed for when she carried the weight all this time. To let go of it in the end. Not now. Not ever.

"D-Don't…" She uttered pointlessly, knowing full well of her Kennii-sensei's nature. He wasn't going to take no for an answer.

With each step, he neared her, until he was right behind trembling form. From here, Ken could make out the falling droplets, droplets from someone who had been hurting for so long. 'Five years. Five long years of grieving. She had only been three when the Uchiha massacre had occurred. So young. So innocent to the world around her. I can't imagine how she had felt when word came around of her father unable to be there by her side anymore, of how she is feeling _right now, _much less Sasuku-chan as well. The world… really is so unfair.'

"Saku-chan…"

"P-Please, d-d-don't, Kennii-sen-s-sei…"

Fabric rubbed against fabric.

Arms wrapped around being.

Ken embraced Sakuri.

The girl's cries began to take more steps, getting louder and more frantic, then, finally, she burst.

She broke down.

Just like her wall of façade that she held up for the world before Ken came along, the vulnerable eight year old fell and became nothing but a limp form of her standing self not even a second ago, only support was the grip Ken held her in.

'S-S-Stop it already…' "P-P-Please…"

He just tightened his embrace.

She just whimpered even louder, like a newborn baby.

Everyone else's tears broke free as well. Mikoto collapsed in front of her daughter, embracing both of them, crying almost as loud and frantically as the small, young minor before her.

Sasuku and Naruko's cries bathed in the louder sobs. They weren't sure if they were expected to join in with Ken-kun, but once Mikoto made her sniffling way to the pair, Naruko had practically dragged a reluctant Sasuku with her, lowering on their knees. Blonde took the initiative, followed by a hesitated Uchiha.

They were a ball of tears, crying their hearts out.

For a second there, things felt content to them, all the stress uplifting.

If only it could've stayed there a little while longer.

**-Empty-**

**End of Chapter**

**Man, I had to put some sad Code Geass moments on replay to get my tears pumping for this scene. Why Code Geass? Cause it's awesome, that's why, ladies and gentlemen. Thankfully the gloomy moment is done, and we can put it behind us. Unfortunately though, that means life of misfortune will continue for the cast.**

**Note: Yes, I know Ken's honorific for Hanabi (Hana-chan) has Inuzuka Hana's actual name in it. It's intentional, and will be addressed at a later point in the series.**

**Also, I understand Hana's personality isn't what it was originally in the manga/anime, but then again, this **_**is **_**an AU so…**

**Anyway, thank you all so much for reading this far.**

**Until next time.**

**-Narurific-**


	20. Hyuga to be Kidding Me

**Chapter 20**

**Hyuga to be Kidding Me**

**-Empty-**

"Hey," Blonde silkiness lowered to his level. He was sitting, right on the edge of the porch of a certain Uchiha residence, looking up at the sky. Almost longingly, until his BFF decided to join him. He gave the girl a glance, flashing a smile before looking back up, "star gazing, huh?"

"Yeah." He said solemnly, his tone practically lost in a gaping hole of content. "It's been so l-long since I took the time t-to give the stars m-my attention."

"When was the last time?"

"A few days a-ago."

Naruko barely held back a chuckle next to him. "You make it sound as if it was an eternity."

"Two days is t-technically twice as much as a-a-a mere eternity, Madam Naruko." He said humbly, deepening his voice in recognition.

"Oh, do not speak through your own buttocks, Monsieur Ken." She spoke in her own high esteemed voice.

Jab.

"A-Ah!" He almost jumped out of his skin by the sudden light, yet firm jab to his right rib. "H-Hey!"

She ignored his plea, since it lacked the actual offended tone. He was merely curious, Naruko could tell. "It's Madame, not Madam, baka." She said with a playful smile.

…Oh right. Madam was for married ladies. "I-It's not like Madame Naruko r-rolls off the tongue better than M-Madam Naruko."

"So you'd rather call your BFF a married woman instead?" She prodded him with a faint blush. "And who might you expect I would be married to?"

"Someone who knows h-how to treat a-a lovely lady like you r-right, duh." He shrugged nonchalantly, though the topic of marriage was actually a bit uncomfortable since the thought or subject never came to be around him before now.

"Like you?"

"Exactly." His eyes opened wide, looking frantic. "I-I-I mean, that's n-not what I meant t-to say!"

Naruko couldn't help it, her blonde locks tied into a single one due to a recent, shampooed, refreshing bath, swayed with her upward look, her mouth gaping with laughter. Sweet, wonderful laughter, if Ken could add. "Gosh, you're so fun to tease, Kenny."

"Hey," He frowned, barely able to join in her humored giggles. Instead, to avoid it, he tackled the girl to the ground, pale hands gripping peach wrists, "you cheater! You c-couldn't even notify me before t-taking advantage of my s-sub-conscious?"

"Maybe you shouldn't have been dozing off like that then." She managed to smirk arrogantly, despite the growing bright blush burning up from the position she was barely aware they were in. His magical red eye glistened the reflection of the nightly atmosphere, absorbing her attention to the point where everything else– including how on top he was, hovering over her, pinning his giggling prisoner down to the cold hard wood, legs on either side of her– was irrelevant to her focus.

Her heart practically leaped to the next stage with how painted her once not-so-glowing cheeks were.

Ken smirked back, almost more so than her currently faltering one. Her ponytail scattered below her like a beautiful golden ocean. "You think this i-is funny, huh?"

"Yep." She chirped, smile growing a bit, only to falter back to normal by how lost she was in her best friend's crimson stare.

"Oh, you just f-forced my hand, you pretty little devil."

She breathed at the 'p' word, her organs working overtime. Even though she had just been drowning in a sea of rejuvenating cleaning water, her mouth, her throat, right down to the top of her shoulder blades, hell, her entire insides felt as dry as a Kami damn desert. It was as if he was sucking her dry right down to the bone. Her lips even felt dehydrated, desperate to smack themselves together if it meant for a single droplet. Her cerulean eyes momentarily landed on a pair of pale lips in front of her.

Lips she occasionally sneaked glances at when not being suspected. They were right there, right in front of her. All she had to do was lean up and snatch her rightful prize. She would've been in complete and utter bliss. Kissing her best friend since six years ago. Could… could she do it? Would she sacrifice their pillar to take the next step in their relationship? Would it be worth it? Kami, all she wanted in her life was to be by his side. That was it. So this urge to transform their closeness into something even more shouldn't be a factor, right? Yet, her heart, including her brain, wouldn't stop coaxing her forward. Every wrong in the world would be a thing of the past if Naruko could just bring herself to take the initiative. Or maybe… maybe she didn't have to.

W-Wait… was he… was he really going to… The blonde somehow broke herself from her daze to make contact with his eyes when those enticing lips of his started opening.

"I am now i-inclined to punish you for y-your crimes, my lady."

"Oh?" She questioned in-between ventilating breaths. It was as if he held her underwater, her lungs desperately needing an intake of oxygen they lacked. "What could you possibility have up your sleeve to punish me that would be effective enough against someone like me?"

Ken's smile turned so mischievous, it made the remaining brain cells of Naruko that were not yet captivated by the heart melting eye staring right back at her, wonder who really was the 'pretty _devil'_ between the two. "I'm glad you a-asked." Wait, why did his voice somehow send a chill up her–

"Bwah hah hah hah!" She heaved, struggling to push the boy off her, despite her hands being free of their shackles. Surprisingly, his devotion to 'attack' her poor, defenseless hips had given him the defiance to resist the blonde's strength. Either that, or she really wasn't putting in her all to get away. Which could only mean one thing. Ken's smirk grew at the conclusion, assaulting her freshened body with his own washed hands, defiling her with his fingers as much as he could.

…Not in that way…

"S-S-St-Stop it already, K-Kenny!" She flailed with an openmouthed laughter, pushing onto his hands that were invading her sensitive spots. "Hah hah ha! Th-This i-i-isn't hahah f-fairAH ha hah hah!"

"What isn't _f-fair_ is you flustering me w-with your teasing."

"You f-f-flustAH ah hah m-m-meah ha ha hah AH-all d-da t-tah-ha-hu-ee-mmm!"

"That's irrelevant, s-silly girl!" He chuckled at her attempt to slide under his grip, seeming to be on the verge of laughing to death. Was it really wrong for him to continue for her 'laughing death' if it meant to listen to her awe-striking melody escaping her mouth more longer? "Surrender to the s-supreme king of gags, minion!"

"F-F-AH-ii-nn-ah hah hah, y-you win!"

"Who wins?" He questioned with more of his frantic movements of his hands and wriggling fingers.

"You!"

"Who's 'you'?"

"Th-AH s-supr-ii-mm-ah hah ha k-k-king!"

"Damn right!" He chortled victoriously, his fingers having a mind of it's own with the continuation of Naruko's degradation. "Remember my n-name when y-you decide to consult m-me with such v-vile nonsense."

"Y-You jerk!" Tears formed in the corner of her shut, joyful eyes. "Let go o-of me, Kenny!"

"Okay." He simply said, halting his assault by putting his hands on either side of her 'destroyed' sides to support his hovering form.

After her laughter steadily settled down, Ken's locked eyes went wide in surprise by the sudden grip on the side of his head, pulling him down inches away from a once 'giggling fit' that was Naruko.

"T-Teme," She giggled the last results of her submission out of her system, looking straight at the boy whose face was inches away from hers, "you like seeing me submit to your will now and then, huh?"

"Makes me feel I'm d-dominate over you and Sasuku-chan in at least one field." He shrugged with an arrogant smirk, "besides, your l-laughter is to die for."

_**Then die already, you weak, pathetic creature!**_

Ken's smile almost faltered, but the fact that Naruko would definitely notice with how close they were made him steel himself enough from the uninviting voice in his head.

"To die for, huh?" Naruko asked playfully, unable to not steal glances at those mocking lips of his. She was not in the right place in her mind to even consider his awareness of her peeks right now. All the blonde could do was daydream about actually smashing her own pleading lips to lock with his own pair. If only she could do it in reality. Could she? It was so easy to do so, to lean forward a bit and take him as her own, crossing the heart-filled bridge she wanted to cross for so long. Yet, it was so difficult to move herself even the slightest anymore, much less toward her best friend.

'You ruined me, baka. Instead of being innocent minded of the ones who are special to me, you implanted me with these heart pounding feelings with your presence alone.'

"Yup." He remembered and used the same pitched tone as Naruko had used earlier. "Or any-th-thing about you, I s-suppose."

"You… you'd die… for me?" It was such an obvious thing to note. Comrades would do such things for one another all the time. Close relatives would, loyal servants would. _Friends _would. She'd do the same for her precious people, especially her precious Kenny, but to hear such devotion from said attraction in such a compromised position. Her heart couldn't help but grow wings and soar.

Her set of teeth munched on her bottom lip with anxiety, the last of her queued feeling in her body could practically feel the contrast between the cold, yet cool night air icing her burning face. Not just her cheeks. Her poor ears also fell victim to the excruciating leaping knots in her stomach. She probably looked like an idiot, which would usually worry her if her Kenny was witnessing such a sight, like right now, but she couldn't care less about that. Not when his warm, comforting breath attacked her vulnerable face more effectively than his 'Supreme King' act. She just had to open her mouth to coax his 'effective way' to punish her, didn't she? It was fine though. She was glad, if it meant she could be _this _close to her one and only Kenny.

'He's right there, baka. Take your chance while you still have it!'

She pursed her lips nervously, eyeing his eyes for any signs of defiance. Would he defy her? She knew him for so long, and yet, she was still asking such a question. She supposed there were things he kept from her before, so questioning his reaction to her foreseeing initiative could be one of them as well.

Gulp! She just hoped her selfishness for wanting something more out of their relationship won't backfire, at least not to the point of no return.

"Kenny…?"

"Hmm?" He hummed his undivided attention, her hands still holding delicately on his cheeks. Not only her, but the male Genin out of Team Seven also took the time to think, almost unaware that they were still in such a position for so long. It wasn't as if Naruko's hands gave him any 'out' of it either, even if they were gripping like she was scared he'd break apart. He didn't mind though, so long as his BFF got what she wanted.

"…_**You were always holding me back. Every single day. I may not had friends when we met, but I sure as hell would've been better off without any than to be by your side."**_

Ken's smile had finally drooped a bit at the thought of his 'daydreaming-nightmare', but thankfully, Naruko was too much in thought-land as well to note his falter. Yes, he had to give her his all, and more, if he expected their friendship to avoid being soiled by justification. Justification of our pathetic he was. But that was why he had to get stronger, and stronger, and _stronger!_

When he was finally interacted with by said blonde, he wiped away a lone tear from her bright cheek. Thankfully it's remnants were full of joy instead of dread.

"Do you… like me?"

He raised an eyebrow. "What kind of a-a question is that? Of course I do, s-silly."

"No," She shook her head, looking straight into his exuberant eyes, "I mean… do you… l–"

"What in the…?"

Sasuku's ogling eyes welcomed, for a lack of a better word, the gazes of both Genin on the floor. One nearly covering the other with his entire body, and the female holding– or had held– his head in place… for… _a…_

"You… sh-she… out here… but…?" The Uchiha couldn't find a coherent sentence.

"Oh, hey th-there, Sasuku-chan." Ken smiled, still 'dominating' over the twelve year old like they were… as if they were… "Do you wanna j-join us? It'll be great if y-you do. All members of T-Team Seven enjoying the sensation of s-s-s–"

He was going to say stargazing, but his impediment gave Sasuku enough time to be hammered in the coffin with the final nail. Her suspicions were already on high alert, but with that one word starting with the letter 's' took her sun-beaming blush to a whole other level.

S-S-Sex!?

"H-HENTAI!"

To sum it up, somebody's face just got rearranged right then and there.

-Empty-

"Again." A word everyone knew all too well.

"Again." Was a word repeated too many times.

"Again." Was a snake's vapor drugging familiar ears to death.

"Again." Was something everyone tried their best to ignore.

"Again." Was, funnily enough, not the motivation for her constant attempts.

"Again." Was just like any other word coming from the older person's mouth. Lost in her head. Incomparable to what truly gave her legs that last bit of life to get back up for the day.

Struck. Fell. Fruitless.

"Again." She gritted her teeth, but complied, more to her thoughts than his command.

Force palmed. Fruitless.

"Again." He glared at her while a certain youngling snarled from afar.

'This is not inherit training,' The eight year old's matured mind once thought, clouded in a smoke of frustrated disgust, 'this is unadulterated torture!'

If only her sister didn't meet that stupid Genin. That green-haired insolent fool! Then maybe her older sibling wouldn't be–

Force palm!

Her tainted Academy eyes flinched for something else to view. Something more, _human._

"Again."

His daughter was barely twitching on the soil, almost becoming an unnatural part of said earth. Like something was threatening to pop out of it. But it wasn't, it was only the 'struggle' the young heir was putting up with. How disappointing, wanting to win the sympathy of others. That wasn't going to happen. Not to him.

Not to the man who had nurtured her ever since her mother passed on.

"Neji," He looked at the boy in white, "give her her aquatic intervention already, so she can have some sort of energy to continue."

"Hai." The boy moved and arrived with a bottle for the pained girl. He placed it down next to her as usual. Stepping back to observe, as usual. Showing a blank slate of a face to his cousin… as usual.

Hyuga Hiashi stared down with seriousness. 'If you're able to move and quench your thirsty exhaustion, then you can continue without any problem.'

Natsu looked sadly next to Hanabi.

Hanabi looked down, eyes shadowed.

She moved. She finally moved… her messed up arm… by an inch, aiming for the invaluable amount of water, only to realize her 'break' had been finish a while ago. Bottle nowhere in sight. She wanted to sob; Hyuga Hinata wanted to cry so badly. Not only because everything of hers hurt _so, so much, _but to cry for help. For an escape for the prison she was in. It was torment. An endless cycle. A purgatory for whatever wrong she had done. Whatever she had done… to her father.

To the one she had idolized when young.

"Again." She didn't hear the word, only seeing the flash of reassurance. His lively hair. His caring, soft eyes. Green and red. A perfect combination for who he was from within. If only she could've used her time during these past difficult years better to get to know more of that 'inside' of his instead of taking blow after blow, day after day, week after week, _month after month, year after year!..._

…At least…

"I said again, Hinata."

…his powerful facial features were engraved into her mind. The once laying, now crouching Hinata wouldn't have known what to do if it wasn't. Probably go insane.

"K-K-K-Ke-Ke-K–"

"Hinata." He said sternly, foot itching to tap the ground repeatedly. "Do _not _make me repeat myself again."

Neji continued to stare from the sidelines, as with many other members of the esteemed clan who were blessed to be titled as 'Hyuga'. Though, as their reluctant eyes had said many times before: Was it truly a blessing when something like _'this'_ kept replaying itself over and over again? Like the same episode of an old show?

'This is all his fault!' Hanabi nearly yelled out externally.

'This is all his strength.' Hinata finally made it to her feet, taking a shaky breath through her nostrils. 'Strength to continue, to keep moving forward!'

'Finally.' Hiashi almost cracked a small smile by the defiance. 'At least she has the resilience to keep going. Although, having that alone only shows how much futility is hanging onto her shoulders.' He made to nod to his nephew for resumption to continue the–

"_**Excuse m-me, but p-please accept this b-b-bento as an a-apology for my a-actions the other d-d-day."**_

Hyuga eyes shot open, halted Byakugan reactivating itself. "Hya!" She roared through flying tears, palms ready. Her opponent barely blocked her sudden strike, but she wasn't done. Not yet.

_**Hinata stared longingly…**_

Not yet…

…_**from a distance at the two friends indulged in one another's company. Green and blonde. Crimson and cerulean. Joy and joy. Practically a perfect match.**_

…Not yet darn it!

'Where is she getting all of this stamina?' Hiashi's eyes were locked onto the swift, precise movements of his descendant. Neji wasn't bound to stay defensive; he aimed for her chest. Her rib cage's chakra flow pulsing in pain through the watchful eyes of his Byakugan. She wasn't having that though. Not anymore. Her right palm reached to her left side, pushing the opposition's strike to the side, while her left palm went under her right arm and against her cousin's own chest.

"I can… d-do this…!" She gritted her teeth, immediately turning her force palm into a hard hitting elbow, directly aiming for a chakra point her Kekkei Genkai was so generous to provide eyesight for. Unfortunately, her already injured arm was in so much unwanted agony that her strike wasn't precise or vital enough, giving her leaning body vulnerability that was instinctively taken advantage of by her relative.

Swoosh! Body twisted around Hinata's.

Squeeze! Hands dug into said girl's arm.

Slam! Before she knew it, that sound rung deafly through her entire body, poor intestines coughing out thick slop of wet redness.

Hiashi's slightly astonished face calmed down with a 'hmph', Neji giving room for his fallen relative, as usual. "Agai–"

Hand reached to the opposite side of the ground and bombed said soil, knees contracting with support of firm arms.

Hiashi's surprise came back to haunt him, fixated on the sprinting young female, the glimpse of determination evident behind her Byakugan.

Neji barely had time to react to the unexpected rush of wind, so much so that he wasn't aware of how much force he'd put in his–

Force palm!

Oof!

…

Everyone's widened eyes kept staring. They weren't sure what just happened. It all happened so fast. One minute Hanabi's sister was unable to grasp a bottle of water, but was able to grasp the element of surprise so swiftly in a matter of transitional seconds. Now though… now she was kissing the ground, like usual, but after a long pause of no visible movement from the limpness before them, everyone had came to the same possible conclusion, including the executor.

She was…

-Empty-

The day wasn't done yet. It was still Wednesday evening, entering the last bit of sunlight for the day. Yet, the two early-showered Genin had been told to stay for the night… again. I mean, do not get him wrong, the hospitality was more than what he could ask for, especially compared to what awaited him at his own 'home'. So it was all around a fantastic place to end up in. But to be perfectly honest, what did he ever actually do to deserve it?

Train the owner's daughter? What, would that really give him the privilege to 'freeload' like it was the most natural thing to do? No, no it shouldn't, specially if such a reason extended his stay for… what day was it again? Fourth? Fifth? Nearly a week? Preposterous. Either that, or Mikoto-chan really was too good of a person at heart.

Unrealistically good when it came to a person like him. But he supposed he should quit his bitching for once and just accept the good that comes his way. Good that never came for seven years, and even back then the 'good' wasn't truthful as he thought it was.

Kami, he really missed his accused 'mother', wherever she was right now. Probably on duty during this time. Anbu really were hard workers, huh?

He opened the front door as silently, yet less sneaky as possible. Really now, they would find out of his MIA sooner or later, like last night, so there was no reason to hide his leave from them. Ken shivered a bit, remembering the tongue he received from a certain eight year old Uchiha when she scolded him for leaving the residence without her 'consent'. That was the point of his 'nightly duties' though, although he supposed like this morning with his teammates, he should be more open with himself with the people he cared about, not to mention the aftermath of Naruko and his sparring session.

"…_no more secrets from now on, 'ttebayo."_

Ken frowned at the memory, distinctively remembering the pinky hug they did right after. 'I'm sorry, Naruko, but if you were to ask of me about something like my visits to Mizuki-sensei, then I'd have to break that promise. After all, before we even got to do that pinky swear, I promised Mizuki-sensei that I won't say anything about our encounters to anyone. Besides, such things are meant to be confidential, otherwise things will just fall apart instead of building themselves up.' He closed his eyes wistfully before exposing them up like the whoosh of the entrance in front of him, stepping out before closing the Shoji opening.

'Before I do go pay my daily visit to my sensei though, I need to make things right with a certain someone.' He clenched his palms tightly, a specific encounter of a young Hyuga flashing before his eyes.

-Empty-

"Does it hurt?"

"N-Not that much."

"You sure?" The lady looked up with concern. "You took quite a beating back there, Hinata-sama. So I would appreciate it if you'd be honest about this so I could treat you more efficiently."

"You worry t-too much, Hatanaka-san." Hinata attempted a warm smile, despite it ending a bit forced and weary. "If I feel any discomfort, I-I'll inform you."

Hatanaka Eri, a twenty-seven year old blunette reserved exclusively for the physical welfare of Hyuga, frowned with suspicion at the response of the young Heir, her shoulder-length hair tied in a braid behind her. She sighed at the reassurance though. "If you're certain."

Her healing hand rested upon Hinata's right bruised knee, making the girl winch a bit. "And here?" She raised an expected eyebrow, noticing the youngling's cornered position.

"I," Hinata blushed a bit in embarrassment, "y-yeah…"

The woman sighed again, getting back to work. "Hopefully it isn't as bad as your arm." She gave said appendage a glance, a wrapped bandage covering the exposed skin. Hinata was shirtless, her black sports bra compensating her above nakedness, sleeves of pants rolled up for inspection. The two were in the younger female's room, due to her compromised position, the queen mattress welcoming the weight of the two persons.

"It'll be fine." Hinata looked at her recovering arm, speaking in her usual inward shyness, though more openly compared to whom she was talking to. Hatanaka-san was really a good listener, and a very close friend of the girl's. In a world of blood and hatred spewing from country to country, a friend could really be a confining pillar a person could lean on without feeling like the whole world was against them.

Like how Hinata felt most of the time. Shy, introverted, isolated, naïve…

"…_weak."_

Her father's words kept haunting her at the worst of times. With qualities like those, there were not many who were really going to act as a pillar for said person. To be friends with qualities people could barely stand. The world really was a dark place sometimes. Thankfully, she found a comfy place in Team Eight where darkness wouldn't swallow her whole, as a comfy place it could be though.

A certain boy's smile took the form in her mind, becoming contagious to her own lips.

"Hinata-sama," Eri frowned skeptically, "smiling at your most injured part of your body so far doesn't really bring me joy, you know?"

"S-Sorry," She shook her head to get the image out of her head so she wouldn't look like a bigger idiot in front of her friend. Unfortunately, her engraved memory could really be more of a curse than a blessing, "I was just thinking of s-something pleasant."

"Is it that boy you keep mumbling to yourself about?"

"W-Wha…!?" Hinata nearly fell off of the mattress, causing the woman to giggle. "H-How did… did I, do I-I really…?"

"Hinata-sama," She rolled her eyes despite the contradicting formal addressing of the Genin's name, "you really are simple-minded if you're not aware how loud you sometimes speak to yourself."

"I-I-I–" She stuttered, before looking down in complete embarrassment, her face burning like an oven set to three-sixty degrees Fahrenheit, if an oven could even go that high. The woman merely laughed cutely at the cute reaction.

"Gosh, you're sometimes too easy to read, Hinata-sama." She went back to treating the poor girl, although she continued where she left off. "So, who's this lucky boy's name?"

"W-Well I… I m-mean…" Hinata trailed off, pursing her lips hesitatingly. "…I-I mean, it's not th-that big of a deal. We don't even hang out with each other."

"Why's that?" She looked up at the girl in question.

"It's b-because, well, we are on d-different teams so… a-and we're too busy with m-missions and the like, so it's not like we have the t-time for each other."

"Don't have the time? Hinata-sama, when it comes to love, you should always make time for each other, no matter wha–" She cut herself off, realizing the tight schedule she had on a daily basis. Wake up, Genin training, Genin missions, Hyuga 'training', get ready for the next day, repeat. Eri frowned solemnly to herself, staring down a bit with frustration.

"L-L-Lo–" Hinata couldn't even finish the word, her own head down to her neck had gone berserk with red paint, ears steaming like a coal-running train, whistling as one as well. "I-I-It's not l-like that, H-Hatanaka-san, really, it i-isn't."

Eri was still contemplating her careless wording of the girl's busy timeline, her reply only now entering her ears.

"B-Besides," She muttered lowly, playing with her index fingers shyly, "i-it's not like he f-feels the same way, especially," She bit her bottom lip at the thought, "e-especially when he has Naruko-chan on his side."

"Naruko-chan?" Hatanaka questioned curiously, then it finally came to fruition. "Are you saying you like Kenjo?"

"I m-mean, the way you said the w-word 'like' really makes it sound like…"

"Hinata-sama," Uncertainty wrote itself on the older female's face, "I don't think that is… well…" What would Hyuga-sama say about this? If the members of the Hyuga clan thought he was already ruthless with his daughter, then how menacing would he be if he actually found out about the feelings his child had for someone he truly despised? It wasn't a secret to anyone living under the compound of the Hyuga. The man really disliked everything about the boy, right down to his name. So much so that when he heard the boy's name being uttered by one of the members of his prestigious clan, he ruled out that if anyone spoke about the boy ever again under his compound, there would be _severe_ consequences.

Nobody was willing to find out what that might entail.

Knock. Knock.

"Oh," Hatanaka looked at the closed door, then at her patient's appearance, "who is it?"

"Hanabi."

Both looked at the door in surprise.

"I came to speak to my Onee-chan."

"Well," She looked back at Hinata, noticing she had just sub-consciously finished the last bruise visible on her body. "you may come in."

Hanabi stepped into the room she had been in so many times before, watching Hinata put on her shirt and thanking the packing medic for her assistance.

Eri nodded with a smile, stepping toward the door with a smiling nod for the younger heir as well.

Hanabi nodded with her usual frown, leaning against the wall next to the door Hatanaka just used, hands behind her leaning back. She waited for a second at the sound of distancing footsteps down the hallway, before looking back at the dressing Hyuga, blue hair poking out of the top of her cream-colored jacket, said garment a bit scratched and dirtied. "Hi Hanabi-chan." She took a careful step for a stand, testing how far her body would go until it throbs.

Hanabi frowned deeper at this, her meaning in being here amplifying. 'What I'm about to do Onee-chan, is all for your own good.'

-Empty-

"He went out again, didn't he?" Sasuku frowned.

"Yeah." Naruko looked down with a deep sigh. The day's dinner was flowing deliciously through the air, but it was being ignored.

Ignored for the letter currently being read by Mikoto. The others' eyes had already met the Kanji note, including Sakuri.

"He said he'll be back shortly, right?" Sakuri asked unsurely, the exact message she had read being clouded by her emotions.

"Doesn't seem like he'll make it for dinner though." Sasuku gave the finished, yet still undivided pot of goodness behind the counter a stare.

"Well, I suppose we have no choice but to start without Ken-kun then." Mikoto said unenthusiastically, placing down the read note before taking charge of the awaiting food.

"B-But," Naruko said with hesitation, knowing it wasn't her place to speak for everyone else. But she did it anyway, "can't we wait a bit longer?"

"As much as I would like to agree with you on that, Naruko," Sasuku gave the blonde a look, "we don't know how long he'll be out, let alone if he would want us to wait for him."

"But…" Naruko trailed off, unable to truly rebuttal to that.

"We just have to!" Sakuri nearly yelled, fists clenched in front of her defiantly.

"Sakuri…" Sasuku looked sadly at the girl she and Naruko had a talk with a few minutes ago.

"_I'm… sorry…" The young girl started, looking around except directly at them._

'She apologized for her fight between us earlier on, going as far as to do anything for our forgiveness. I have never seen her like that before, putting her own pride one side just to make nice with us. I have wondered if her apology also had something to do with Ken-kun, just as it had been when she attacked me a few hours ago. As soon as everything was settled between us though, a note was what awaited for us in the living room. Makes me wonder if he used Sakuri as a method of sneaking out without being caught. But he said he wouldn't be suspicious next time, well _less _is more accurate. Is this what he means to be 'less' suspicious though?'

She shook her head.

'He probably has his reasons. We'll ask him when he gets back. Hopefully he'll keep his promise to Naruko and not lie this time.'

"I think," Mikoto started, catching the three children's attention, "a few minutes wouldn't hurt, right?" 'I hate to delay their appetite like this, but they seem determined to wait for Ken-kun though. I can at least volunteer along with them. As if I wouldn't myself.' Her suggestive smile faltered a bit. 'Ken-kun… you've been going out a bit too much without our knowledge lately. I hope you're doing well, and not getting into trouble. I know your judgment is for the best of others, since you're too sweet of a boy, but please…' The woman watched her older sibling reluctantly agree with everyone else, 'be careful, wherever you might be.'

-Empty-

The breeze of a beautiful Wednesday evening. It really was refreshing. Or she supposed any evening in general. Still, today's evening felt excluded from others. Why?

"_There's something waiting for you in Konoha park."_

Hanabi's previous words to her was probably the reason for such exclusion. It felt special by itself. Sure, her baby sister could be a bit eccentric sometimes, especially when she attempts to show her affection for Hinata, but this time felt really different. To tell her to wait in this lifeless park during the last break of light for the day, for something she wasn't informed of. That was really weird, regardless if it was a good or bad type of weird.

Now here she was, sitting on a swing, waiting for… whatever that was meant to be waited for she guessed. Could it be someone instead of something? Sure, Hanabi-chan said the latter, but if keeping it as vague as possible from Hinata was what the younger girl was aiming for, then notifying her that it was an actual person would definitely be less vague than this.

Wait, was it? Was she actually waiting for someone to come along? Her blue-haired head lifted itself up from the grassy soil below, eyes moving from side to side with expectation. She really didn't know what– who she was looking for, but she looking nonetheless, her grip around on each tied rope tightening with anticipation. Was it him, or her, or that child over there? If it really was someone she was supposed to meet, then things really became more interesting than before. Who was this person? Was it a boy, or a girl? Were they as old as her? Younger? Older? A Genin? Chunin? Jonin? The Hokage himself?!

"Silly," She shook her bangs from side to side, as short as they were, "now you're getting ahead of yourself. The Hokage? Where did that come from? Of course it's not the Hokage. Not only is the park an odd place to meet him in, but why would he even want to see me at this time of day in the first place? No, no, it cannot be the Hokage. Then, who is it?"

Wait, was it even a person? Was she even expecting something extraordinary to happen? Was this just a simple ploy from her sister? A simple joke, a 'gotcha' moment? Kami, she hoped not. Sure, Hanabi could be uptight sometimes, keeping her posture of an esteemed Hyuga in check, but her playful side would sometimes show itself, especially to her. Was this one of those moments then?

Again, she hoped not. She wouldn't want to sit here all day just to be laughed at in the end. Especially when it was nearly passed her curfew. Hinata giggled a bit, kicking for a bit momentum on the swing, the birds chipping their last tone for the day before the owls could take over with 'hoots' galore. 'Hanabi can be troublesome sometimes. But that's what makes her so special. What makes her my imouto. Someone who hopefully looks up to me as an idol of hers.'

An idol…

Hinata's smile turned a complete one-eighty, her strained yet movable arm again becoming evident to her once drifted mind. 'Nejinii-kun sure can pack a punch– palm.' She tried to joke, but her downward lips wasn't feeling it, her eyes unable to see the humor in it.

They could only see the deep frown of a certain man looking down upon them.

"_Weak."_

Her grip tightened on the thick rope supporting her weight.

"_Again."_

Her breathing began to pick up.

"_Again."_

She shook her head, no.

"_Again."_

"N-No." Her voice began to break, swallowing hard, forcing the image out of her head. The thought pained her more than the pain that throbbed around her body each time she departed from Genin work. Each time she stepped inside the compound she belonged to. Each time she fought for her life and pride as a Hyuga. Training. That was what her father called it. Training. Her body's poor condition was the result of said training.

"_You will never claim the throne of clan leader if you cannot show any progress, Hinata."_

"Get out of my head!" She shouted, tears falling down her face, hands gripping her short hair as if it needed to be forcefully removed. Bystanders stared astonished, before speeding up from the sudden dispersal. They barely recognized the person on the swing though, since it couldn't have been the well-known Hyuga Hinata, despite the resemblance. The daughter supposedly next in-line to become the head of her clan. The daughter everyone knew was quiet, polite, kind, and never loud, disruptive, attention-seeking.

Weirdly pulling on her hair like a mentalist. That couldn't be Hyuga Hinata. Never in a million eons.

An idol.

Hinata finally calmed down, her father still lurking in the back of her head.

An idol, to look up to.

'Is that…' She looked down, nearly fully depressed at her violated mind, mouth moving to continue her introverted thought. "…Is that really who I am? Someone like me? No…" Her eyes shadowed themselves, "…no it isn't. It cannot be."

"_Weak."_

"S-Someone like me…"

"…_Best Onee-chan ever."_

"…could n-never be an idol… n-never…"

A male smile flashed before her closed eyes.

"…B-But…"

Her returned hands continued their tightening grip around the rope.

"…That shouldn't define… their words… Otou-san's words sh-shouldn't define who I… who I am…"

His smile flashed again.

"…I will, I don't… really care about b-becoming the head of my clan all that much…"

"_Weak."_

"…all I want… all I want is to, become a strong kunoichi… someone people can truly depend on. Someone who can protect the ones they care for…"

He smiled again, drowning the last unstable reminiscence of her father's words.

"…The ones I care for…"

"Hinata-chan?"

"Ken-kun…"

"…Hinata-chan?"

"Huh?" She blinked, her daze drowning as well. Her eyes focused, looking up to the source. They widened at what she saw.

W-Wait, what in the… what was… was this really happening?

"K-K-Ke-Ke-Ke-K-K-Ke-Ke-K-K–" Her eyes wanted to roll at the back of her head, fainting to wherever _actual_ reality was. This mind-playing, yet blissful dream was not funny.

"H-Hey!" He reached and caught her from behind her back, keeping her balanced on the seat. "Are you o-okay? It looks like y-you've seen a gh-ghost?"

"I-I…" Her mind was trying it's best not to lose conscious, her head being held by one of her hands. "I-I'm fine, I just thought I s-saw someone I…" She looked to her left, and Ken gave her a sympathetic smile.

"…W-Wha…!" She scurried in her seat, kicking for distance between the illusion and herself, but soon realized it meant little to nothing while she was still seated. "Y-You… you… wh…" She swallowed hard, trying to find a proper response. "K-Ke-Ken-k-kun?!"

"Hey." He gave her a little wave, finding her reaction more amusing than offensive. 'Really now, am I _that _scary of a person?'

_**Monster, not a person, smartass.**_

"Wh-Why," Her mind was still a bit befuddled. Scratch that, _'a lot' _befuddled, "why are y-you here?"

"Well I…" Ken trailed off, his reasoning not as easy to pronounce than the thought. He decided to play it cool for now. "I'm h-here for you, Hinata."

"N-N-N-Na-ni…!?" She stared at him with wider eyes, threatening to pop out, her unknowing blush brightening even further.

"I'll g-get to that later," His smile attempted to stay as solid as possible, despite what was about to happen, "why don't w-we wait for you t-to catch up with yourself. I can o-only imagine h-how fast your mind m-must be traveling right now." He joked poorly, although with what was about to happen, it was the best he could come up with.

-Empty-

"Calm enough?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"Doesn't s-sound very reassuring."

"I-I-I'm f-fine, r-really."

Strange. If she really was telling the truth, then she must have a speech impediment as well. Kami knew he could relate to that. Either that, or she must be really nervous for some reason. Was she informed what was going to happen? Then a gloomed expression would fit her more than that averting one. 'She wouldn't have been though,' He thought, sitting alongside her on the second swing, 'if she had been informed, then this meeting wouldn't be necessary, right? Man, am I nervous as well. Makes it difficult to sit down. But I suppose standing while Hinata-chan sits wouldn't be fitting for the calm, casual path I'm aiming for. Still, I'm surprise that these swings are holding two twelve year olds so relentlessly. Not that Hinata-chan's heavy or anything! What I mean is–"

"K-Ken-kun?"

The boy blinked out of his stupor. "Hmm?"

"A-Are you the one I-I was supposed to m-meet?"

Ken frowned at the reminder. "Yeah."

Hinata's eyes grew a bit, then soon softened with a warm smile. "I'm… glad…"

"Huh? You're g-glad?" Glad? For what? For the inevitable? No, again, she couldn't have been informed, right? She was blind about this necessity. She had to be.

"Yeah." She managed to look him in the eyes, despite the growing blush from doing so. "You see K-Ken-kun, I was always w-waiting for this exact moment."

"This moment?" The inevitable. No, stop thinking like that. She had to be meaning something else.

"Ever since… the Academy…" She took a moment to collect her thoughts before continuing to the awaiting Genin. "Do you… d-do you remember the first time we met?"

Despite her shy and low tone, Ken could hear her as clear as day. "I… yeah, y-yeah I remember. It was when…" He hesitated with a slight blush, "…when I a-accidently bumped into you."

_**Using 'accidentally' as if it excuse your fucking behavior.**_

'Shut up already!' He nearly worded it, although he couldn't help but agree with his inner voice, but not for the sake of agreeing with it's inane bullshit. 'Why am I even thinking about this _now?_ Focus, idiot!'

"Yeah." She giggled. "You made i-it readily apparent with your apology the following day."

"Heh," He chuckled, remembering it as well, "I was really d-desperate for your acceptance, w-wasn't I? Going as far a-as to give you that bento." 'One of the bento left on my porch that day.'

"It's fine." She smiled sweetly. "I never accused you of anything back then, I still don't. Thank you for your offering though. I wish I could've replied though." She frowned a bit, the actions during that time not excusing her rude departure. Or at least, that was how she viewed it.

"It's fine." He started himself, realizing he used her own two words against her. Hinata as well, only for both of them to laugh at it soon after. "But really," He giggled to a stop, "I understand y-you were a busy girl."

"Th-That's not true!" Hinata erupted offensively, before covering her mouth with opened eyes. "I-I mean…" She muttered through her fingers, placing her hands on the rope. She didn't continue though; her mind knew excuses couldn't change the past.

Nothing could.

"I'm kidding with y-you, Hina-chan." He sub-consciously nicknamed, causing the girl to look at him in surprise, although Ken wasn't aware of his action even after witnessing her expression, continuing regardless. "I saw th-those girls dragging you a-away." He chuckled freely, "Your f-friends are really c-considerate of your reputation."

"They were not," She looked at him with a stern expression, as stern as her introverted self could muster though, "they're n-not my friends."

"Hah, boy," He tried shadowing his surprise with a chuckle, "you're s-saying even strangers c-care for you? Man, you're so p-popular, Hina-chan. Way more than I c-could dream to be."

"N-No I'm not, I mean, I don't… consider myself popular at least."

"Wow," He shook his head with a disregarding smile, "so humble. You're r-really too good for p-people like me."

"That's not… I'm not humble, I…" She pursed her lips in frustration, a feeling only felt during her time dedicating her tired body to try 'again'. 'That word…' She thought grimly, shaking her head to squabble the persisting idea out of her head. "What are you… why, are you saying stuff like that, Ken-kun?"

This was definitely not how she depicted her reunion with Ken-kun to be like. He was practically uplifting her while at the same time throwing himself with sticks and stones from left to right. Was this really what Ken-kun was like? How Ken-kun acted around people? Who Tayamaru Kenjo really was? She didn't know if the thought of him being like this all the time was more frustrating than what he was doing to her right now. This was probably the tip of the iceberg, his current degradation. But it couldn't, right? This couldn't be what he was like. Following him for so long, until a certain neko stopped her of course, gave Hinata a different insight of said Genin. 'This' and 'that' was two complete opposites.

She always thought he was this mysterious enigma filled with hidden abilities and traits he wasn't willing to show off during their Academy days, not even including the relatable shyness and kindness from the boy with green hair. A person worth figuring and hanging out with, if Naruko-chan's constant time with him was anything to go by. To think he could take such expectations and turn them upside down on their heads.

"Saying stuff l-like what?" He asked with an innocent smile. "Is it n-not true that you're t-too good for me? I mean, y-you're talented, smart, k-kind, funny–"

"Ken-kun…" Hinata frowned at this, her nervousness in being near the Genin nearly a thing of the past. "…what's going on? Why are you saying these things? Really…"

Ken's interrupted mouth slowly closed at this. 'I was so out of focus I didn't realize I was rambling nonsense just now. Funny? Really? I mean, I doubt she isn't funny in her own way, like her earlier reaction to seeing me, but really? C'mon man, how desperate can you get! Both of you know that you never even had a proper conversation with each other before. You have barely an idea on what kind of a person she really is aside from the obvious facts about her. What makes you think she'll fall for such a list of traits? Either you're a damn stalker, or you're that translucent.'

Ken continued to stare at Hinata's expression. Calm, collected– no, that wasn't it. Distressed. Confused… Frustrated. He really couldn't do this by beating around the bush, could he? No. He had to be abrupt and straight-forward with her.

It was the only way.

The only way to get the message through to her.

Hina-chan wasn't that easy, he now knew that. She wasn't going down without snappy methods.

Without his tongue spewing the truth.

_**Yes, do it, you stupid prick!**_

His background of an inner voice really was working on the last bit of sanity he held onto, huh?

"_But then… I r-really don't follow. Who else a-am I expected to a-apologize to?"_

"_Isn't it obvious?" Hanabi placed a hand on her hip, with the other prodding him roughly in the stomach. "My Onee-chan!"_

"_Your Onee-ch-chan?"_

"_Hinata."_

"_Hinata…" His eyes slowly bulged from the repeated word escaping his mouth. "B-But I didn't do…"_

_**Thud!**_

_Ken's eyes widened, the onomatopoeia ringing in his head. The sound that followed two Academy students' encounter. He... remembered. Remembered their first time meeting each other. Under such circumstances. But… he also remembered apologizing for it the day after. So, wasn't it goo– Wait, they had been interrupted. By her friends. She couldn't fully accept or reject his admission of guilt. So… was that what Hana-chan meant just now? That he didn't fulfill his apology? That the message didn't get across yet? He thought it did, regardless of the intermission._

"_Yeah, you finally realize it, huh? That you're the one who is ruining my Onee-chan's life!"_

"_W-Wait, what?"_

"Hina-chan." He started, finally standing from his seat. "There's s-something I need to tell you."

_**Yes, yes!**_

The blunette simply followed him with her eyes, their closeness crossing her mind once again, evident by her returning, heart pounding blush.

"_What, are y-you serious?"_

"_I'm dead serious." Hanabi stared back sternly._

"_So, apologizing i-is what is needed to f-fix this whole thing?"_

"_No," She shook her head, remembering what she saw in her onee-chan's diary that fateful day. How carefree the older Hyuga member was with her confession about this boy in front of Hanabi. How important he was. How vital he was to every aspect of her life._

_Absurd, she know. But the pieces of the puzzle soon formed in place, revealing the bigger picture she wasn't able to see more clearly._

'_All those times when my father said 'again', she wasn't listening. She never listened. She only imagined. She only thought… of him.' "I realize now that apologizing simply won't cut it." She said, closing her eyes in thought, feeling the stare Ken was giving her._

Ken merely looked at the Hyuga, the person he never made contact with for so long. Three? Four years? Right in the middle of his first ever semester during his Academy days. Now, here he was. Finally interacting with her. Speaking to her. Laughing with her. Hanging out with her. Only to get what he wanted. What Hana-chan wanted. What Hina-chan wanted– no, what she _needed._

'Her eyes…' He thought solemnly, sub-consciously delaying the inevitable like before. Like with his conversation just a second ago. '…they're so… pure. So white. It reminds me of innocent snowflakes falling in winter. So peaceful. So inviting. But this isn't winter. It is time… to open her eyes to what the current season really is.'

"_Wait, you w-want me to do wh-what?!"_

"_It's the only way."_

"_I don't see how that w-would be beneficial."_

"_It will be. Trust me. If you saw what I had to witness every single day– what _Hinata _had to go through every single day, you'll understand."_

"_B-But… isn't there a d-different way?"_

"_No." Hanabi shook her head. "Sometimes, cutting the knot is the only way to make it tighter."_

"_But…" Ken clenched his eyes in defiance. "…I-I can't, I just… can't."_

"_Do you care about my onee-chan?"_

"_Do I… c-care? Well, sure I guess." The conflicts Hanabi had told him before suddenly strengthened his resolve. "Of course I d-do."_

"_Then you'd do it," She closed her eyes with near-contentment, "for Hinata's sake."_

_Ken's eyes couldn't round themselves any further with what the eight year old just told him, the sudden comparison with what happened years ago jolting him with realization. '…Mommy…'_

'Yes,' He looked at her awaiting orbs sadly, yet sternly, 'this is the only way out of this mess. For Hina-chan's sake. I'm… sorry… Hina-chan…'

"Hina-chan."

"Y-Yes?" She stared up at his standing form expectantly, his depressed expression rather confusing for her.

"Do you c-care about me?"

_**Yes, keep going!**_

"Wha-Wha…?"

"Do you care a-about me?"

"Of course."

His frown continued, maybe even deepening with how focused she was on his red eye. A certain Hyuga's voice rung in his head to eliminate the last hesitation he had.

"_She's been beaten, and humiliated by our father for years now. It's all your fault. It's all your fault. All of it. All of the marks she received– _all of it! _They all hang on your shoulders. Cause of you, cause of your image in her head, she cannot focus. At all. She's failing. Not only as a Hyuga, but as a ninja as well. She cannot achieve her dreams like this. Please, if not for me, do this for Hinata, Kenjo."_

"_I love you, momma."_

"If you t-truly care about me…"

"_I… I don't love you back, Ken."_

"…then you will f-forget about me, forever."

_**Yes…**_

"N-Nani…?" She barely said above a whisper, her breath lost with his words' escapade.

"You heard m-me, Hina-chan."

…_**Yes…**_

"_I… I don't love you back, Ken. I hate you. I hate you so much. Just go back to where you came from already."_

He stared blankly in the eyes of a slowly crying Hinata, her mouth hanging a bit in disbelief.

"I d-don't want you t-to care for me, ever. You h-have to be stupidly d-desperate to care about s-someone…"

…_**YES!**_

"…who d-doesn't care for you back."

Crack!

Shatter!

Her aching heart, beaten by her own family, and held in place so far by the only person who gave so much strength, shattered into a million fragile pieces, her throbbing pain around her body forgotten. If only she could've had his departing words as the thing that was forgotten. If only.

But her heart wasn't the only thing that broke.

They couldn't see the cracked seal on a certain Genin's back though.

If they did, then maybe they would've known why his own heart didn't break instead.

It was because he was…

_**EMPTY!**_

"Did I just…" Naori looked up through the window, the peaceful evening sky meeting her gaze. "Did you feel that…?"

_**Yeah, I did. Do you think…**_

"I don't think so." She narrowed her eyes.

_**How so?**_

"The power was faint. It should've been stronger."

_**Maybe because he's further out?**_

"Maybe…" Her vision lost focus with thought. "…but it feels like only a portion of the seal the Yandaime used gave way."

_**Is that even possible?**_

"Hey, I have no fucking idea how that old dude's techniques work."

_**Good point. So, what now? Should we put our plan into action?**_

"No, not yet. We need the whole seal to break. Whatever our prince did, he needs to do it again, or find a better way to destroy that damn thing with one blow." Naori smiled sinisterly, contradicting her usual carefree, friendly grin. "Only then, will we make our move."

-Empty-

"Where were you, Ken-kun!?" Naruko eyed in an upset way, Sasuku standing a bit behind and to the right of her on the bridge all three were standing on. The morning sun could've been a millions times pleasant than it already was and it still wouldn't sooth the two females' moods. "You said you were going to come soon, and yet you stayed out until morning!"

Ken merely looked her way, red eye piercing hers blandly. They waited, and waited, and waited.

"Well?" She insisted firmly, cerulean not enjoying the silence from her BFF.

"…I didn't feel l-like it."

"Wha?" She blinked, taken aback as much as Sasuku from behind.

"Sorry." He closed his eye– or eyes they supposed– before lowering his head a bit as if to nap against the railing.

"You… felt like it…?" Naruko looked back at Sasuku, who was as confused as she was. More than that, both were not sure how to respond. Their male comrade never spoke like this before. Not even his previous silent and distancing self had given them such a vibe his current self was radiating right now. It… unnerved them if nothing else.

"Yo." Kakashi interrupted, shunshining into his usual position. "Hmm?" He noticed the puzzled and glum looks of his female students, the other peacefully keeping his thoughts to himself. "What's the problem?"

They didn't answer. They seemed as unsure themselves.

"Well," He decided to ignore it, "I think I know what'll cheer you guys up." The copy ninja eye-smiled at them. "Who's in the mood to graduate to Chunin level?"

**-Empty-**

**End of Chapter**

**That's it for this chapter, you guys. I wasn't really expecting the Kenjo-Hinata scene to take so long, but at least it's out of the way now… only to open the doors for a crack in the male Genin's seal! What does that mean though? Does it mean anything at all? And what is this gloomy atmosphere Kenjo is giving off? Is he just depressed about what happened between Hinata and him? Or is it something more?**

**All of that, and more will be answered in the following chapter(s)! Make sure you're ready, cause we're finally entering a more bumpier ride from here on out, and I'm not only talking about the upcoming Chunin exams either!**

**Until next time!**

**-Narurific-**


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